No aid has reached Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip as of Wednesday, despite Israeli claims that dozens of trucks have entered.
Since 2 March, Israel has enforced a total blockade on Gaza, preventing any food, medical supplies, or goods from entering the besieged enclave.
On Sunday, Israel stated it would allow a “basic amount of food” into Gaza for what it described as “diplomatic reasons” aimed at easing international pressure that could force an end to the ongoing war.
The Israeli military claimed that over 90 aid lorries have entered the strip this week.
However, sources inside Gaza told Middle East Eye trucks remain stalled on the Palestinian side of the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing.
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Aid organisations confirmed that no humanitarian relief has been distributed.
“No aid has entered the Gaza Strip since 2 March,” said Nahed Shuhibar, head of Gaza’s Private Transport Association, in an interview with Alaraby TV.
“Aid lorries are still stuck at the Karem Abu Salem crossing.”
Unrwa spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna confirmed that while thousands of aid lorries are queued at the crossing, none have entered storage facilities or reached those in need inside Gaza.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the delay is complicated by Israeli requirements, which involves offloading supplies on the Palestinian side and reloading them separately once UN access from within Gaza is secured.
‘For more than two months now, we’ve had no food’
– Hajj Ahmad, Gaza resident
Palestinians across Gaza are experiencing worsening conditions and say the promises of aid are nothing more than media illusions.
Barham Zarroub, a resident of Gaza, expressed skepticism over the reports.
“They said trucks would enter, supposedly bringing aid into the Gaza Strip. But not a single truck made it into Gaza. We didn’t see anything in the institutions, or even inside Gaza itself, that indicated any deliveries,” he told MEE.
Even if some aid were to arrive, he added, “it wouldn’t cover even 2 percent of the population” based on the number of trucks set to enter.
“That means only a few families might receive something, and many people might not get anything at all,” Zarroub said.
‘Drop in the ocean’
According to UN estimates, at least 600 lorries per day are required to begin addressing Gaza’s severe humanitarian crisis.
Dujarric said while the arrival of aid was a positive sign, it was “a drop in the ocean” compared to what is needed.
Razan Ahmad, speaking from Khan Younis market, described the situation as desperate.
Israel is starving Gaza to death, and still the world does nothing
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“Right now, I’m in the Zahra area trying to find flour for my children, and I can’t find any,” she said.
“Honestly, everything being spread on social media and through both Hebrew and Arabic media is completely false.”
She dismissed reports of trucks entering Gaza as “malicious rumours”.
Hajj Ahmad, another Gaza resident, shared similar frustration.
“For more than two months now, we’ve had no food, no meat, no milk. We need calcium, we need protein – these are all things we’ve been deprived of,” he told MEE.
“When they said aid trucks would enter, we were thrilled. But it was all for nothing. Just look at the markets, there’s nothing, absolutely nothing.”
The Israeli war on Gaza has killed 53,655 Palestinians since 7 October 2023, including over 15,000 children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 58 people have died due to malnutrition and 242 due to a lack of food and medicine, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office.
