The delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip has declined by 67% since Israel shut down the Rafah border crossing on May 7th, as per the United Nations’ announcement today.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, in a press conference on Wednesday, pointed out that the closure of the Rafah crossing, bordering Egypt, is the leading cause of this substantial decrease in aid flow.
Dujarric stressed that the escalating Israeli airstrikes are worsening the humanitarian crisis. He noted that essential infrastructures, such as health services, are gradually shutting down due to ongoing attacks and the resulting displacement, which hampers the distribution of resources.
Right now, only one hospital in Rafah is partially operational. Despite the challenging circumstances, the United Nations and its partners are working hard to provide assistance.
It’s worth noting that since the Israeli offensive in Gaza began on October 7th, over 117,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed or injured.
Additionally, approximately 10,000 people are missing amid widespread destruction and famine, which have claimed the lives of many children and elderly individuals.
Moreover, Sada El Balad reported that the Gazan Health Ministry announced last Tuesday that, except for a specialized maternity hospital, all hospitals in Rafah have stopped operating due to the Israeli ground offensive that began on May 6th.
Sadly, Israel’s barbaric military actions in Gaza continue despite the International Court of Justice’s orders to immediately cease the ground offensive in Rafah (south), take steps to prevent “genocide,” and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the region.
