Since 2007, the Israeli government has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip, allowing very limited amounts of essential goods to enter by air, land, and sea. Recently, Israel has tightened the blockade, refusing to permit the entry of any humanitarian aid materials since October 7th.
The Israeli military has threatened to strike any vehicle entering from the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Not stopping at that, Israeli forces have launched attacks near the border crossing to send a warning.
Due to increased international pressure, Israel has allowed the entry of some symbolic amounts of aid into Gaza, the first aid convoy, consisting of 20 trucks and lacking the crucial fuel needed for hospitals to operate, entered Gaza through Rafah. This was followed by two separate aid convoys, one with 14 trucks on Sunday and another with 20 trucks on Monday.
United Nations officials have stated that the food, water, and fuel stocks in Gaza have dangerously dwindled, emphasizing that at least 100 truckloads of aid are required daily to meet the basic needs of approximately 2.3 million people living there.
EGYPT AND HAMAS WANT AID TO ENTER
Egyptian authorities are ready to facilitate the entry of aid to ensure the needs of Palestinians in Gaza are met and to prevent their expulsion to their own territory in Sinai. At the Arish Port in Egypt, various countries, including Turkey, have sent aid to be delivered to Gaza. Another authority that needs approval for aid entry is the Palestinian movement that controls the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing.
The Foreign Media Officer for Hamas, Velid Kilani, stated that they have no preconditions for allowing aid to enter. Kilani said, "We have no conditions. Anyone who wants to send aid can send it. We cannot impose any prerequisites on those who want to send aid to Gaza."
Kilani emphasized that it is Israel that is preventing aid from entering, and he noted that the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza so far has been extremely limited and symbolic. Kilani pointed out that Israel has threatened to strike the Rafah Border Crossing and aid convoys on the road if aid is allowed to enter Gaza, saying, "Israel is trying to exert pressure on the resistance by preventing aid from reaching the people of Gaza."
He denied the allegations and stated that there are no conditions for aid to go north, and they want all aid to enter in some way.Up to this point, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has been responsible for storing and distributing the aid that has reached Gaza, even at a symbolic level.