Despite the dire need of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, much of the food aid stopped in Egypt due to the closure of the Rafah crossing is exposed to damage and corruption under the blazing sun, especially since some supplies have been stopped for more than two months.
For the third week, the occupation forces intensified their bombing of the Rafah area and closed the crossing, which plays a major role in bringing in humanitarian relief and some supplies, after occupying it on May 6.
Egyptian officials and sources say – in a report by Reuters – that the military activity endangers humanitarian operations, and that Israel must return the crossing to the Palestinians before it begins operating again.
The Egyptian presidency said that Cairo and Washington agreed – yesterday, Friday – to send aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing until legal arrangements are made to reopen the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.
This may reduce the accumulation of aid on the road in the distance between the Egyptian side of the crossing and the city of Al-Arish, located about 45 kilometers west of Rafah, which is considered an access point for international aid.
Sun rays
The driver, Mahmoud Hussein, said that the goods were loaded on his truck a month ago and gradually began to spoil under the sun, so some food items were disposed of and some were sold at a low price.
He added, as he sat taking shelter in the shadow of the truck, “Apples, bananas, chicken, and cheese, there are a lot of things that have spoiled,” noting that some goods are sold in the local market at a low price after returning from the crossing because their expiration date is approaching the end.
Relief officials say that the flow of aid is often slowed by Israeli inspections and military activity inside Gaza, and that the amounts reaching the Strip’s 2.3 million residents are far below their needs.
The World Food Program warned of imminent famine in areas of Gaza.
TRUCKS LIMITED
Since May 7, no trucks have passed through the Rafah crossing, and very few trucks have crossed the nearby Israeli Kerem Shalom crossing, according to UN data. Since then, only a little more than 900 trucks loaded with aid have entered the Gaza Strip, compared to at least 500 trucks per day that the United Nations says is needed.
Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in Sinai, said that the volume of aid waiting to cross into North Sinai in Egypt has now become very large, and some of it has been waiting for more than two months, adding that some trucks carrying aid require a certain temperature, otherwise they will spoil.
Abdullah Al-Rabiah, general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, a charitable organization funded by Saudi Arabia, said that the center had more than 350 trucks loaded with materials, including food and medical supplies, waiting to pass through Rafah, but it was forced to unload the flour for fear of it rotting.
Local officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Supply said that some food items were sold at low prices in the local market in North Sinai, which led to the confiscation of quantities of rotten eggs.
Inside Gaza, there were also concerns about the quality of food that was delivered after waiting periods and passed through before the closure of the Rafah crossing or through other crossings.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Media Office, said that Palestinian medical and police officials who used to inspect goods coming into Gaza were unable to do so during the Israeli attack.
He added, “There is a big problem that many of the goods entering the Gaza Strip are unfit for human use and are unhealthy… Therefore, the Ministry of Health issued this warning with the aim of educating citizens about the necessity of examining goods or materials before eating them and (distributing them to) family members.”