Pope Leo XIV called on Israel on Wednesday to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The country has allowed a small amount of aid this week under heavy international pressure. But according to the UN, it is still not possible to distribute food.
The Pope says that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming “more worrying and painful” for residents every day. Especially the weaker ones are suffering from this, says the recently elected head of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to COGAT, the Israeli military agency that deals with Palestinian civil affairs, 93 UN trucks were allowed into the Gaza Strip on Monday and Tuesday. These had, among other things, flour, baby food and medical supplies as cargo.
But according to UN aid organization OCHA, the content of this has barely reached the Palestinian population. Once the carriers are in Gaza, they must unload the aid. But UN employees then have to wait a long time before they get access to the cargo.
Even if all trucks are allowed to continue driving, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) there would still be far too few relief supplies. The aid organization states that the Israeli government has only decided to allow some aid again for the sake of image.
Aid Organization Calls Amount of Aid ‘Ridiculously Insufficient’
“The decision by the Israeli authorities to allow a ridiculously insufficient amount of aid after months of siege indicates that they want to fend off the accusation that they are starving people in Gaza – while in fact they are barely keeping them alive,” says Pascale Coissard, who is in Khan Younis on behalf of MSF.
Before the start of the blockade in March, around five hundred trucks with aid entered Gaza every day.
UAE Reports Deal with Israel on Delivery of Emergency Aid to Gaza
The United Arab Emirates has made agreements with Israel on the delivery of “urgent humanitarian aid” to the Gaza Strip, Emiraatse state media reports. Israel allows very little aid for the Palestinian territory, but the foreign ministers of both countries have reportedly agreed by telephone that emergency aid from the UAE will be allowed into Gaza.
The aid from the UAE should initially be enough to feed fifteen thousand people. It would involve supplies for bakeries and medical supplies for children.
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