The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said food distribution in Rafah, southern Gaza, has been suspended due to lack of supplies and insecurity in the densely populated town.
UNRWA said in a statement published on X on Tuesday that only seven of its 24 health centers were operational and that it had not received any medical supplies in the last 10 days due to “closures/disruptions” in Rafah and Karem Abu Salem – known as “closures/disruptions” in Rafah and Karem Abu Salem. in Israel under the name Kerem Shalom – crossing points to Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in the besieged territory has worsened since Israel seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah land crossing with Egypt earlier this month.
This vital crossing, which served as a major artery for life-saving aid and an entry and exit point for aid workers, has been closed since May 7.
🔷 Food distributions in Rafah are currently suspended due to lack of supplies and insecurity.
🔷 Only 7 out of 24 UNRWA health centers are operational. Over the past ten days, they have not received any medical supplies due to the closure/disruption of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
– UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 21, 2024
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hind Al Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said stopping distribution would have “a catastrophic impact on Palestinians not only in Rafah, but… throughout the Gaza Strip.”
“We are talking about more than two weeks without anything entering the Gaza Strip,” she said, referring to the period since Israeli forces closed the Rafah crossing.
The top UN humanitarian official, Edem Wosornu, told the UN Security Council on Monday that there were not enough supplies and fuel to provide a meaningful level of support to the people of Gaza.
“We lack words to describe what is happening in Gaza. We described it as a disaster, a nightmare, hell on earth. It’s all of that and worse,” she said.
She said the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt had disrupted the delivery of at least 82,000 tonnes of supplies, while access to the Karem Abu Salem crossing from Israel was limited due to “hostilities, difficult logistical conditions and complex coordination procedures”.
In northern Gaza, where the UN warns that famine is imminent, Wosornu said the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing has been closed since May 9 and the recently opened Erez West crossing “is now used for limited amounts of aid, but now areas in the vicinity of this crossing are also subject to evacuation orders” given by Israel.
The United States “very concerned”
Israeli attacks on Tuesday killed at least seven Palestinians in Rafah, according to Al Khoudary. In the enclave, more than 80 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the previous 24 hours alone, according to the territory’s health authorities.
Before Israel began its assault on Rafah, the city was home to 1.5 million people, most of whom had been forcibly displaced from other parts of Gaza. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have fled the city, according to the UN.
Israel has said it intends to expand its operations in Rafah despite US warnings about the risk of mass casualties in the southern city.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s administration remains “very concerned” about a major Israeli operation in Rafah.
Although it disagreed with a large-scale operation in Rafah, the Biden administration continued to provide Israel with military and diplomatic support.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also called on Israel on Tuesday to lift restrictions on aid to Gaza.
“As the people of Gaza face famine, we urge Israel to lift the blockade and allow aid to flow. Without more aid to Gaza, we cannot maintain our vital support to hospitals,” WHO Tedros told a news conference in Geneva.
He said the closure affected six hospitals and nine primary health centers and caused 70 shelters to lose their medical facilities.
“Daily consultations fell by almost 40 percent and vaccination by 50 percent,” he said.
“Approximately 700 seriously ill patients who would otherwise have been evacuated to receive medical care elsewhere are stuck in a war zone. »
Gaza’s health system has virtually collapsed since Israel began its offensive there, following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
Tedros also said al-Awda hospital in northern Gaza remained under siege since Sunday, with 148 hospital staff and 22 patients and their accompanying people trapped inside. He said fighting near Kamal Adwan Hospital, also in northern Gaza, had jeopardized its ability to treat patients.
“These are the only two functioning hospitals remaining in northern Gaza,” Tedros said. “It is imperative to ensure their capacity to provide health services. »
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces attacked the emergency department and main gates of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Al Khoudary said. Patients and Palestinians who took refuge there are being evacuated, she added.
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