“It’s a symbolic operation,” according to Philippe Bonnet, of the NGO Solidarités international

“It is a symbolic operation which, we imagine, benefited from enormous political support at the highest level”, said Saturday March 16 on franceinfo Philippe Bonnet, director of emergencies for the NGO Solidarités international, while the cargo of the first humanitarian aid boat which arrived in the Gaza Strip from Cyprus on Friday was unloaded on Saturday. It will be able to be distributed to the population threatened with famine after more than five months of war.

“We’re talking about 200 tonnes, that’s five trucks of 38 tonnes. Five trucks when we have thousands of trucks waiting in Rafah. We would need 500 trucks per day to meet the needs of the population. If we manage to have this level of leverage on the authorities to allow the arrival of this boat, let’s have it to open the way for all these trucks loaded with goods waiting at the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossing points”says Philippe Bonnet. “It is the opening of this type of corridor which, we hope, will be able to change the humanitarian situation on the ground”he said.

Philippe Bonnet, who was on site this week, describes a “critical situation, in particular because the aid cannot arrive. We lack drinking water, food. The health situation is terrible: we are talking about latrines for 600 people in certain places, there are no showers.” It evokes “a deep distress of this population who for five months have been moving from one place to another. All life has stopped.”