The Palestinian Health Ministry voiced serious concerns on Saturday, stating that the decision to omit fuel from the humanitarian aid funneled into Gaza through the Rafah crossing poses a significant threat to the lives of patients and the injured in the region.
Salama Ma’rouf, the head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, expressed his gratitude in a press statement to all parties striving to provide relief and aid to Gaza. This comes as the territory grapples with an escalating humanitarian crisis, further intensified by the continuous aggression now marking its fifteenth day.
Ma’rouf shed light on the reality that the aid convoy, which comprised 20 trucks carrying essentials like water, canned goods, medications, and other medical supplies, significantly falls short of Gaza’s normal requirements. Historically, the region received over 500 trucks laden with diverse necessities on a daily basis.
He emphasized that such a convoy, even if multiplied many times over, cannot sufficiently address the current needs of Gaza. This is especially true given the glaring absence of fuel—a resource that has become critically scarce in certain areas and completely exhausted in others. The fuel is paramount for the functioning of various service sectors.
The importance of keeping the Rafah crossing perpetually open and initiating a safe corridor to funnel in life-sustaining commodities is paramount, Ma’rouf stressed. Speedy responses to top-priority needs identified by service entities in Gaza, primarily the urgent requirement for operational fuel, are essential to avert a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Our correspondent reported on Saturday that trucks bearing humanitarian aid made their entry from the Rafah crossing into Gaza. Israeli media sources confirm that the trucks’ entry into Gaza was overseen by a tripartite Israeli-American-Egyptian supervision.
In a related development, Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson for the Israeli army, urged the inhabitants of northern Gaza to relocate southward, asserting that “humanitarian aid will be directed there while intensifying strikes will persist in the northern region.” He further indicated that, by directives from political leadership, essentials like food, medicine, and water are being funneled through Rafah crossing, but reiterated the prohibition of fuel entry into Gaza.
