What entry points remain for delivering humanitarian aid?

The United States announced on Wednesday that it was halting operations of its floating jetty off the coast of the Palestinian enclave, which is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster.

One less entry for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The United States announced on Wednesday, July 17, that it was ending operations on its floating jetty off the coast of the Palestinian enclave, ravaged by more than nine months of war between Israel and Hamas. “The maritime reinforcement mission including the jetty is complete, so there is no longer any need to use the jetty”said Brad Cooper, vice admiral and deputy head of the U.S. military’s Middle East Command. In just two months, this costly initiative has suffered repeated damage.

The end of this mission highlights, once again, the many obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Thirteen NGOs, including Doctors of the World and Doctors Without Borders, warned on Monday: Israeli strikes and evacuation orders, among others, “further deteriorated the response capacity of humanitarian aid agencies.” Kerem Shalom in the south, Erez West in the north… Franceinfo takes stock of the crossing points still open to humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Rafah border crossing: closed

The Rafah border crossing, in the far south of the Gaza Strip, has been closed since May 7, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recalled in a recent report. Israeli forces have taken control of this strategic crossing point. “The delivery of aid from Egypt to Gaza via Rafah has thus been completely interrupted,” note the 13 NGOs in their latest report.

Due to the Israeli operations in Rafah, more than 1,500 UN and NGO trucks are blocked in Egypt, according to these organizations.

Kerem Shalom entry point: open, but “not viable”

Not far from Rafah, the Kerem Shalom crossing point in Israel remains open for the entry of pre-approved goods, according to the latest information from OCHA. From Kerem Shalom, one route remains accessible for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the center of the Gaza Strip. Other routes are no longer accessible due to fighting or blockade by Israeli forces.

According to the report of the 13 NGOs, the situation in this area “has deteriorated significantly since the Israeli offensive in May, making access to the crossing from inside the Gaza Strip dangerous and logistically unviable.” Kerem Shalom is described as open, “but in practice only a little help has come through,” denounce humanitarian organizations. The area remains affected by fighting and insecurity reigns.

Erez West passage to the north: open, but running slowly

In the north, the Erez West (as-Siafa – Zikim) entry point has been open since May 12 for pre-approved goods, according to OCHA. The Erez entry point is closed, after a brief opening between May 1 and 9. Erez West remains “hardly viable from a logistical point of view”, according to NGOs. Above all, “it does not meet the needs of the inhabitants of the northern zone.” In this region, approximately 20% of the population experiences catastrophic food insecurity.

In June, 53 of the 115 humanitarian aid missions planned for the north of the enclave were fully completed with the green light from the Israeli authorities, according to OCHA. For the southern regions of Gaza, 213 humanitarian missions were also completed, out of a total of 299 projects.

Finally, one last crossing point remains open at the entrance to the enclave: Gate 96, southeast of Gaza City. However, it only allows movement along the border with Israel.