Humanitarian groups say commercial convoys are cutting off aid deliveries to southern Gaza as Israeli forces advance into Rafah cuts off vital supply routes to feed hundreds of thousands of people.
Shipments of food, medicine and other aid to the Gaza Strip have fallen by two-thirds since Israel began its ground operation on May 7, according to U.N. figures. But overall, Israeli officials said the number of trucks entering the Strip increased in May compared with April.
Part of the reason for the stark differences in reports of what goods have reached the Strip is the increase in commercial shipping.
Reuters reported last week that the Israeli army lifted a ban on food sales from Israel and the occupied West Bank to Gaza in May, giving merchants permission to resume selling fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products and other goods.
Gaza residents say there is more food in markets but prices are many times higher than before the war and few can afford to buy enough food after months of fighting and displacement.
A group of aid agencies warned this week that there was an “illusion of improved access” even as efforts to feed Palestinians were on the verge of collapse.
“meanwhile Kerem Shalom “While the border remains officially open, priority is given to commercial trucks and aid movements are unpredictable, inconsistent and extremely limited,” a group of 20 aid agencies warned this week.
According to UN data, about 5,000 truckloads of aid were delivered through Kerem Shalom and Rafah, the two main crossings into southern Gaza, in April. In the last three weeks of May, only a few hundred were passing through Kerem Shalom, and Rafah is closed.
But Israel overall saw the average daily number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip rise from about 300 in April to about 350 in May, with the “vast majority” of recent shipments going through Kerem Shalom, said Shimon Friedman, a spokesman for Kogat, the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid. He added that commercial shipments were not being prioritized.
Ami Shaked, manager of the checkpoint where Israeli guards inspect packages, acknowledged that corporate truck deliveries exceed aid but said this was driven by the commercial interests of logistics companies.
“The problem is the same on both sides (of the border crossing). The Palestinian side chooses to take away businessmen’s goods… and so does the Israeli side,” he told reporters in Kerem Shalom.
“If we had signed a contract with UNWRA [the UN agency for Palestinian refugees]For example, they will pay 2,000 shekels per truck. Currently, the market price for pure businesses is 7,000-10,000 shekels per truck, so they prefer to receive goods from businessmen.”
Aid groups dispute this, arguing that they have long-term contracts for trucks and that their ability to transport aid would be adversely affected if limited capacity to enter Gaza and pass through military areas were allocated to commercial trucks.
Obstacles include a lack of permits from the Israeli army to drive to Kerem Shalom and roads to the collection area that are clogged with commercial vehicles waiting to unload.
“Israeli military operations and activities since May 6 have hindered humanitarian efforts,” said Juliet Touma, UNWRA’s director of communications.
“(The reasons include) restrictions on our movement, including receiving humanitarian aid from Kerem Shalom. The Israeli authorities have not given us sufficient permission to move… Also, the area around Kerem Shalom is fast becoming very dangerous.”
Aid workers have long called for more trade into Gaza to supplement the supplies they can deliver, potentially allowing those who can afford it to eat healthier, more varied diets and easing some of the pressure on aid demand.
But sacrificing aid deliveries to get more food to markets will exacerbate, not alleviate, the worsening hunger crisis in southern Gaza, where two child deaths from malnutrition were reported last week at Deir al-Balar hospital.
“During the longest period of the war, Israeli authorities allowed almost full access to humanitarian supplies, but the quantities were insufficient, leaving two million Israelis dependent on humanitarian and relief supplies,” Tooma said.
“Then, as people’s resources dried up, they started bringing in commercial supplies. There is a big problem in Gaza of a lack of cash. Very few people will be able to buy the supplies that are coming in.”
After months of war, many Palestinians are broke and nearly everyone is struggling to get hold of cash. Most have been unemployed for months, and those who still receive a salary or have savings in the bank are unable to use cards or make electronic payments with electricity and communications networks barely functioning.
Very few ATMs are operational, but they face hours-long queues, low withdrawal limits, and require users to pay a percentage to protection groups that prevent theft and violence at the ATMs.
