‘We need it to survive’: Gaza father’s desperate plea goes unanswered as trucks full of aid sit stranded at Israeli crossing

No humanitarian aid has reached Israel‘s recent agreement to allow a minimal amount of supplies into the enclave. The agreement came after Israel faced mounting international criticism for its blockade amid growing warnings of an impending famine in Gaza.

According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, “a few dozen” trucks carrying flour, medicines, and nutrition supplies were permitted to through the Israeli fence into the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. However, according to The Washington Post, aid workers were unable to transport these supplies to warehouses as Israeli officials made them wait several hours for access and required them to unload and reload the supplies onto separate trucks. The aid workers ran out of time before dark, leaving the supplies stranded.

The situation highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where civilians like Wissam, a father of six displaced to the tented area of Mawasi in southern Gaza Strip, struggle to feed their families. Wissam can only provide his family with one meal per day, consisting of lentils served at 11:45 in the morning, without bread due to flour shortages lasting over a month. “I hope that it comes soon,” he said, referring to the aid being held at the border. “We need it to survive.”

International pressure mounts as minimal aid proves insufficient

Israel has faced increasing pressure from allies to lift its blockade on Gaza. Britain suspended free trade negotiations with Israel, while European Union member states pledged to review commercial ties, urging Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. The blockade had been implemented since March 2, described by Israel as an attempt to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that “minimal” aid deliveries would be permitted into Gaza “for practical and diplomatic reasons,” noting that Israel’s allies had told him they could not “handle pictures of mass starvation.” However, aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières criticized the move, calling the “ridiculously inadequate amount of aid” a “smokescreen to pretend the siege is over.”

In a separate development, the United Arab Emirates reached an agreement with Israeli authorities to deliver food into Gaza. The initial phase of this agreement aims to address the food needs of 15,000 people. Meanwhile, Palestinians anxiously await aid in hopes it will alleviate inflation that has significantly increased prices for basic necessities such as flour. Despite these developments, military operations continue, with the Israeli Air Force reporting over 115 strikes throughout Gaza in a single day, alongside naval strikes in northern Gaza conducted in cooperation with ground troops.