Flooding Gaza with aid might lessen security challenge, says UNRWA chief

The head of the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA stated on Friday that attacks on aid convoys in the Gaza Strip by looters and armed gangs might reduce as humanitarian assistance pours into the region following the truce between Israel and Palestinian militants.

He stated that UNRWA has 4,000 truckloads of assistance, with half consisting of food and flour, prepared to enter the Palestinian enclave. The U.N. World Food Programme has announced it has sufficient food prepared to nourish over a million individuals for three months. During the 15-month conflict, the U.N. has characterized its humanitarian efforts as opportunistic – dealing with challenges from Israel’s military actions, access limitations by Israel into and across Gaza, and more recently, theft by armed groups.

“Launching a significant influx of aid into Gaza … could, in fact, help alleviate this kind of tension,” stated UNRWA leader Philippe Lazzarini. “However, it is clear that we also require a systematic, continuous, and unobstructed access to the individuals.” On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement, set to begin Sunday, and the release of hostages captured by the militants during their lethal Oct. 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel, which initiated the ongoing conflict.

The agreement is still dependent on the full cabinet’s approval, which convened on Friday afternoon. Discussions commenced in Cairo on Friday to work out specifics for executing an aid influx into Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement. In addition to security issues in Gaza, the U.N. has expressed worries regarding road damage, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages, and insufficient communications equipment. On Friday, USAID Administrator Samantha Power stated her hope that an increase in aid could establish a consistent flow of humanitarian assistance for Gaza. She mentioned that USAID has reserves prepared for dispatch.

The agreement stipulates that 600 truckloads of assistance must be permitted to enter Gaza daily during the first six weeks of the ceasefire, with 50 loads designated for fuel. Half of the 600 aid trucks will be sent to northern Gaza, where specialists have cautioned that famine is approaching. “It’s possible, but it’s not realistic to think that the 600 trucks would come solely from the U.N. or aid organizations,” he informed reporters. He mentioned that commercial vehicles should also be considered.

Lazzarini further mentioned that logistical capacity in Gaza is constrained, so it would be beneficial if bilateral aid could be sent straight to its intended location within the enclave. UNRWA statistics revealed that only 523 aid trucks have entered Gaza in January, a significant drop from 2,892 in December. Assistance is delivered on the Gaza border, where it is collected by the U.N. and distributed.

However, gangs and thieves have complicated that situation. Information from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicates that 2,230 aid truckloads – averaging 72 per day – were received, compared to a daily average of 51 trucks between Jan. 1-5. Israel has devastated large areas of Gaza, causing the pre-war population of 2.3 million to be displaced repeatedly. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterized the humanitarian situation as “disastrous” on Wednesday.

Israel claims that Hamas killed around 1,200 individuals in the attack on October 7, 2023, while the Gaza health ministry reports that over 46,000 Palestinians have died during the conflict. The U.N. reports that 269 UNRWA employees in Gaza have lost their lives. According to Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the World Health Organization intends to introduce prefabricated hospitals to assist Gaza’s severely damaged health sector within the next two months.

At present, merely around half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are operating at partial capacity, according to WHO .