UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : Gaza urgent fuel needs

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

Gaza urgent fuel needs – OCHA, UNICEF, WHO 10 May 2024

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