Dwindling food supplies and fuel could bring humanitarian operations to a halt in the Gaza Strip within days as vital border checkpoints remain closed, forcing hospitals to close and leading to even more severe malnutrition, UN aid agencies warned today, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
This week, representatives of charities expressed concern over the closure of the Rafah border crossings. and "Kerem Shalom", through which aid and people no longer pass amid Israel's military operation in the city of Rafah, where about 1 million displaced Palestinians have taken shelter.
The Israeli army said the limited operation in Rafah was aimed at killing "Hamas" fighters. and to destroy infrastructure used by the Palestinian Islamist movement.
"For five days, neither fuel nor almost any humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip" and we are using literally the last remaining supplies, said UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip Hamish Young.
"This is already a huge problem for the population and for all humanitarian (organizations), but if it is not addressed, within a few days the lack of fuel could bring humanitarian operations to a standstill," he said in an online briefing.
More than 100,000 people have fled Rafah in the past five days, Young added.