While the Palestinian enclave is under total siege, NGOs present on site are warning of the “disastrous” and “catastrophic” situation. They fear an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Dropper deliveries. Around twenty trucks carrying humanitarian aid crossed the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, on Wednesday October 25. Since Sunday, fifteen to twenty heavy goods vehicles have crossed every day through the only entry point into the Palestinian enclave, on which Israel has imposed a “total seat” in retaliation for deadly Hamas attacks. But these first shipments are “a drop of help in an ocean of needs”, regretted Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN. And for good reason: this small territory of 2.3 million inhabitants, impoverished by 15 years of Israeli blockade, is on the verge of collapse.
The nearly 80 trucks that have so far been able to enter the Gaza Strip “did not carry fuel”, notes Natalie Boucly, Deputy Commissioner General of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). Gold “the shortage of fuel oil is the main emergency, even before water and food”, she warns. Since the territory’s only power plant stopped operating, all activity in Gaza has been based on generators and fuel rationing.
UNRWA matters “13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip”of which “5,000 who work every day to deliver humanitarian assistance.” But “They will soon no longer be able to move”, for lack of gasoline to put in their vehicles, fears Natalie Boucly. Without resupply, the UN agency estimates that it will no longer be able to carry out its missions under “two to three days”.
Hospitals on the verge of collapse
The fuel is “essential to the survival of the population”adds Sarah Chateau, head of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) program for Palestine. “Israeli army informs civilians of upcoming bombings via SMS or WhatsAppshe cites as an example. But without electricity and generators, people lose all means of charging their cell phones and therefore knowing where and when to take shelter.”
The lack of fuel also “a direct impact on health centers”, points out Chiara Saccardi, head of operations in the Middle East for the NGO Action Against Hunger. On Tuesday, the Gaza Ministry of Health warned that generators in most hospitals would stop working within forty-eight hours due to a lack of gasoline to power them, reports Al-Jazeera. According to the World Health Organization, six hospitals in the enclave have already been forced to stop their activities.
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“We need electricity for the devices in intensive care units, operating theaters,are dialyzed…” Sarah Chateau list. At Al-Aqsa hospital, doctors fear seeing the incubators accommodating infants from the neonatology department stop, according to the AP agency.
The situation is all the more critical as health centers also lack medicines and equipment. “The Ministry of Health [gazaoui] as well as all the NGOs had stocks of medicines, but we were overwhelmed by the scale and intensity of the bombingstestifies Sarah Chateau. The Israeli offensive left at least 15,000 injured.” Doctors Without Borders has already distributed all its reserves to hospitals and clinics, overwhelmed by the influx of patients.
“Hospitals are starting to run out of anesthetics and painkillers. It’s catastrophic, we’re short of everything essential for war surgery.”
Sarah Chateau, MSF program manager for Palestineat franceinfo
The humanitarian manager thus relays a case of a child amputated without anesthesia, “only with sedation”. A doctor from Khan Yunis hospital speaks of “patients [hurlant] of pain” in most services. “We fear that we will soon run out of drugs to treat chronic diseases, such as hypertension or diabetes, which will lead to new emergencies”, insists Sarah Chateau. UNWRA teams, for their part, note shortages for “85 types of essential medicines, especially insulin”according to Natalie Boucly.
A critical lack of drinking water
The shortage of fuel also leads to a shortage of water. Drilling and desalination plants, essential to the daily lives of residents, are no longer operating. “The Gaza Strip also depends on water imported from Israel, but all supplies have been cut off, explains Chiara Saccardi. The first humanitarian aid trucks brought bottles, but only enough to cover the daily needs of 22,000 people.”
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The water, “like everything else in Gaza”, is rationed a little more every day, notes Chiara Saccardi. UNRWA “only delivers one liter of water per person per day, for drinking, eating and washing”, confirms Natalie Boucly. To quench their thirst, some Gazans therefore turn to unsuitable sources.
“We are already receiving reports of diarrheal illnesses, a sign that people are drinking water that is unsafe to drink, or of people drinking salty or polluted water.”
Chiara Saccardi, head of operations in the Middle East for Action Against Hungerat franceinfo
In addition to the shortage of drinking water, there is a lack of sanitation in places where internally displaced people are accommodated. “More than a million people have been forced to leave the northern Gaza Strip, 600,000 of whom are accommodated in our premises: schools, health centers, training centers, offices… explains the Deputy Commissioner General of UNRWA. Our crisis plan was based on welcoming 150,000 civilians, so our premises are not suitable. For example, we have 8,000 displaced people in one of our buildings, with only two toilets available.”
This promiscuity leads to significant health risks, increased by the lack of water to meet hygienic needs. “We could face epidemics of scabies or cholera, which we are not able to treat”, worries Chiara Saccardi. Like UNRWA, Action Against Hunger strives to improve the living conditions of displaced people in “organizing the cleaning of certain camps”. But the situation remains “disastrous”she regrets.
Insufficient international aid
The aid deployed so far does not meet the food needs of a population subjected to more than two weeks of siege, which comes on top of the blockade imposed by Israel since 2007. “The first shipments contain canned goods, but also products like lentils or rice. Without water, we cannot cook them”, underlines Natalie Boucly. Without fuel, water and electricity, it is impossible for bakeries to make bread from the flour provided to them by UNRWA.
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Action against hunger takes place “ready to send as soon as possible” basic necessities in the Gaza Strip. But “the process is currently much too slow”Chiara Saccardi is alarmed. “Between Sunday and Tuesday, 54 trucks entered Gaza. Before October 7, there were up to 500 trucks of humanitarian aid per day, to supply the Gazan population”recalls Natalie Boucly.
For now, international aid continues to accumulate in Egypt. Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday the sending of a military ship to “support hospitals” from Gaza, as well as the arrival of a plane loaded with medical equipment. Like the UN and many other NGOs, Chiara Saccardi therefore calls for “expand access” of this aid to the Palestinian enclave. Because time is running out, according to the ACF manager. “The already meager resources of the Gaza Strip are almost exhausted.”