For the first time since 20 February, an emergency aid convoy from the UN has succeeded in reaching Gaza City, the World Food Program (WFP) says. The organization states that on Tuesday morning they delivered enough food to 25,000 people in Gaza City. – Since people in northern Gaza are on the brink of famine, we need deliveries daily, and we must have entry points directly into the north, says WFP. ONLY A FEW LET IN: Hundreds of trucks are queuing to enter Gaza across the border from Egypt in the south. Photo: Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters Hundreds of thousands of people are starving in the Gaza Strip, and the situation is worst in the north, according to the UN. – This proves that it is possible to transport food by road. We hope to step up. We need regular and consistent access, says WFP spokesperson Shaza Moghraby. Trucks blocked Secretary General Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council tells news that the WFP is the largest organization that supplies food in crisis situations, and that it has a very large capacity. BREAKTHROUGH: General Secretary Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council says that using trucks is the only sensible thing to do in Gaza. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news He is very happy that the UN organization has succeeded in getting food to the Palestinians who need it most. – This is a breakthrough, emphasizes Egeland to news. He says that the Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza are starving because Israel has blocked trucks with emergency aid. Egeland points to the fact that 15 trucks that were recently heading north into Gaza were stopped by the Israeli military at a roadblock. Eventually they had to turn back, but were looted by desperate civilians. Palestinian children queuing to get food. Photo: Reuters Norway’s foreign minister also comments on what the UN has now achieved. – It is a small step in the right direction, and Israel must make arrangements for much more emergency aid to reach the civilian population in Gaza, says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap). He emphasizes that the need is urgent, and that the situation is becoming more desperate with each passing hour. Hundreds of tonnes – Trucks are the only sensible thing when it comes to delivering emergency aid, says the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. A convoy of trucks can carry several hundred tons of supplies, while an airdrop is no more than up to 7 tons. EVERYTHING IS NEEDED: Palestinians try to get hold of food dropped from planes. Photo: ALINE MANOUKIAN / AFP According to Egeland, a large barge can take up to 200 tonnes, but he believes that transport by sea is more complicated and more risky. The floating harbor that the Americans will set up can increase capacity significantly. But it is unlikely to be ready before a couple of months. – By then, many Palestinians will have starved to death, says Egeland. Requires better access There are several roads into Gaza, but only one of the border crossings from Israel is open – Kerem Shalom in the south. If emergency aid is to be transported to northern Gaza from areas in the south, the trucks must drive through a war zone with battles between Israeli soldiers and Hamas. DEMANDING: Trucks coming from southern Gaza have to pass through a war zone. Photo: AFP – Since people in northern Gaza are on the brink of famine, we need deliveries daily, and we must have entry points directly into the north, WFP says on Tuesday. The Norwegian Refugee Council fully supports that requirement. – If trucks can drive over the Karni border crossing in the north, they can reach Gaza City in just half an hour. It’s the only sensible thing to do, emphasizes Egeland. Ship on its way The news that food aid from the UN has arrived in Gaza City comes on the same day that a ship loaded with emergency aid set sail from Cyprus. ARRIVE THURSDAY: The first ship with emergency aid is on its way from Cyprus to Gaza. Photo: Petros Karadjias / AP The UN welcomes the attempt to open such a maritime emergency aid corridor, but emphasizes that neither deliveries by ship nor plane can cover the enormous needs. – All the food and other emergency aid that comes to Gaza is, as we all know, desperately needed. There is no doubt about that, says spokesperson Jens Lærke in the UN’s emergency aid office OCHA. – So it is extremely appreciated. But it is not a substitute for land transport of food and other emergency aid to Gaza, and especially northern Gaza, says Lærke.
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The UN receives food for Gaza City for the first time in several weeks – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
