Israel's Gaza Aid Announcement Fails to Ease Desperation, Observers Say
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Despite Israel's declaration of opening a new border crossing and pier for humanitarian aid into Gaza, the practical impact on aid delivery remains negligible, according to Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza.
Conditions in northern Gaza continue to deteriorate, with reports of numerous children succumbing to starvation or dehydration amidst the encroaching famine.
Mahmoud emphasized the daunting challenge of providing substantial aid to northern Gaza, citing the imperative of a complete ceasefire and assurance of safety for aid workers and recipients, with at least 33,091 Palestinians killed and 75,750 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
In the southern district of Rafah, where approximately 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are concentrated, accessing shelter and basic necessities has become increasingly arduous, exacerbated by a constant influx of new arrivals.
Makeshift shelters, often comprising nothing more than fabric or flimsy plastic sheets, have sprouted up next to UNRWA-operated schools, as recounted by a displaced Palestinian man in Rafah speaking to Al Jazeera.
"The schools are now very overcrowded, and they don’t want to receive us, so we had to get some wood and we set up this tent," he lamented. "Sometimes we’re not even able to get any water. And for the toilets – we don’t have any. My wife and my child go to the schools to use the toilets. The men are not even allowed to use the bathrooms at the school."
Hassan Barari, a professor at Qatar University's Department of International Affairs, views mounting international pressure following the killing of aid workers and calls to cease arms shipments to Israel as authentic.
"I think it is genuine pressure, given what Israel has been doing, but at the same time, we have to remember that the international community has been complicit with all these Israeli massacres and genocide," Barari said.
