As plight of Rafah’s displaced spirals, humanitarians plead for reopening of aid corridors
With all crossings into Rafah closed or unsafe, the situation in Gaza has reached even “more unprecedented emergency levels”, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned on Friday.
At least 110,000 people have fled Rafah since Monday after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for those sheltering in the east of the city. The closure of Rafah crossing since it was seized by the Israeli military on Tuesday has severed access to fuel and other vital relief supplies, while also curtailing the movement of staff and entry of critical humanitarian items.
“We are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Senior Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, Hamish Young, who told journalists in Geneva that no fuel or humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip for five days. “This is already a huge issue for the population and all humanitarian actors but in a matter of days, if this is not corrected, the lack of fuel could grind humanitarian operations to a halt.”
The closure of Rafah crossing from Egypt and Kerem Shalom from Israel close by “has severed access for us to fuel, supplies and the movement of humanitarian staff,” explained Georgios Petropoulos, head of OCHA’s Gaza sub-office, adding that the development had also affected the movement of civilians across the border and medical evacuations out of Gaza.
A continuing lack of fuel will affect all key sectors as it could force hospitals to close and lead to a further worsening of malnutrition. Over the next 24 hours, five hospitals run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and 28 ambulances are expected to run out of fuel.
This is a major concern for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) which cannot run equipment without power. “Even if you've got somebody back from the brink, you've operated on them, you've put them on a ventilator, (the) ventilator stops, they no longer breathe,” explained Dr Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson. “Without fuel, no matter what everybody has done, the whole system collapses.”
In terms of growing malnutrition, Mr. Petropoulos warned that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA) will run out of food for distribution in the south by Saturday. “That means people will be left only with what has been distributed in their shelters, in their homes and and on site," he said. “As of today, we have 12 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners here in South Gaza: eight have ceased to operate due to lack of fuel and stock and those that are still operating at reduced capacities will be out of that stock by Monday.”
According to the WFP, northern Gaza’s “full-blown famine” is rapidly spreading across the Strip after seven months of war. Displaced people are subject to an even greater risk of disease, infection, malnutrition and dehydration, the WHO warned. To date, at least 30 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration, said Dr. Harris, adding that all three specialized feeding centres opened in Gaza to treat severe acute malnutrition caused by the lack of aid flowing into the enclave since war erupted are “full of patients”.
“A lack of sewage services, lack of clean water means that if the bombs don't get you, you die of thirst, infectious diseases or simply hunger,” Dr Harris said.
Only a ceasefire can avert further bloodshed and restore desperately needed aid deliveries, UN aid teams insisted.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 34,900 people have been killed in Israeli shelling and ground operation in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Some 1,250 people died in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that sparked the war, and more than 250 Israelis were taken hostage. Dozens are still being held.
Ends
Story: “Gaza urgent fuel needs – OCHA, UNICEF, WHO” – 10 May 2024
Speakers:
· Hamish Young, UNICEF's Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip (speaking from Rafah)
· Georgios Petropoulos, head of the Gaza sub-office of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza (speaking from Rafah)
· Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson
TRT: 01’58”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 10 May 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
News of another deadly shipwreck tragedy off the coast of Mauritania is a clear indication of the desperation people on the move continue to face as they attempt to escape strife, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Concerns continue to grow over the impact of a possible polio outbreak in Gaza, amid disastrous sanitary conditions and a lack of access to health care, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR , UNICEF
Poliovirus detected in Gaza sewage puts thousands at risk amid increasing ‘anarchy’ In Gaza, tests conducted by the Global Polio Laboratory Network have confirmed the presence of poliovirus in six sewage samples collected on 23 June from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Renewed wave of deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza must stop – UN Human Rights Office
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Institutionalised forced labour by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea constitutes grave violations of human rights – UN report
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Time is running out for starving civilians in Sudan, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday, while talks involving the country’s warring parties continue in Geneva this week.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC faces a severe humanitarian crisis with 25M in need and rising conflict-related issues.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
A gimmer of good news emerged from Gaza on Tuesday as patients returned to at a newly reopened UN health centre in Khan Younis, six months after it was severely damaged and forced to close by heavy fighting, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN condemns attacks on Kyiv hospitals, calls for immediate action to protect civilians.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
In Gaza, soaring temperatures, hunger and unsanitary conditions present an ever more deadly threat to a population under constant attack, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WMO , IFRC
Hurricane Beryl smashes into Caribbean, turns sights on Mexico As Hurricane Beryl’s destructive path shifted to Mexico on Friday after roiling the Caribbean, UN agencies and partners said that the emergency response was underway, before warning that a very long and damaging hurricane season looks increasingly likely.
1
1
2
Edited News | IOM , mcc , UNHCR
Refugees and migrants continue to face extreme forms of violence, exploitation and death on sea and on land across Africa as they attempt to leave the continent, UN agencies said on Friday, in an appeal to border authorities to do more to protect them.