In a crucial development, the humanitarian conduit into Gaza remained firmly sealed on Friday, despite the concerted efforts of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and an arrangement to unseal it facilitated by US President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Israel continued its relentless aerial bombardment of the enclave.
The failure to lift the comprehensive Israeli blockade further exacerbated the plight of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Many now face the alarming reduction of their daily water ration to just one liter per person for all purposes, a stark contrast to the minimum international standard of 15 liters.
Late on Friday, a US mother and daughter, who had been taken captive during the Hamas attack on Israel and held hostage in Gaza, were released following Qatar’s successful negotiations with the militant group. Natalie Raanan, 17, and her mother, Judith, who also hold Israeli citizenship, were transported into Egypt and subsequently reunited with their relatives in Israel.
In response to this news, President Joe Biden expressed his elation at their impending reunion and reaffirmed his commitment to securing the release of other hostages.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, appeared to indicate that Israel did not intend to reoccupy the territory it withdrew from in 2005. Addressing lawmakers, Gallant outlined a plan of action that included airstrikes and maneuvering to dismantle Hamas, followed by a lower-intensity operation to eliminate residual resistance. Finally, a new “security regime” would be implemented in parallel with “the removal of Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip.” However, specific details about the governance of Gaza after the potential toppling of Hamas and the nature of the new security arrangement remain undisclosed.
President Biden had highlighted the opening of the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian-Gaza border as a primary achievement during his recent one-day visit to Israel. This arrangement was designed to enable a relatively modest aid delivery of 20 truckloads of supplies, representing less than 5% of the daily deliveries before the current conflict. Unfortunately, even this limited aid did not reach Gaza.
Moreover, the closure of Rafah has prevented hundreds of Palestinian-Americans trapped in Gaza from departing, exacerbating the deteriorating conditions inside the enclave. Aid officials have attributed the delay in restoring access to Gaza to necessary repairs to the damaged road leading into the territory. Nevertheless, the Egyptian foreign ministry has denied any responsibility for the ongoing blockade and instead pointed fingers at Israeli targeted attacks, the refusal of aid entry, and media insinuations implicating Egypt in obstructing the exit of third-country nationals.
Despite these circumstances, Cairo had reportedly conditioned the passage of Palestinian-Americans into Egypt on the delivery of humanitarian aid in earlier discussions with US officials.
António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, emphasized the need for substantial aid deliveries and expedited security checks to alleviate the dire situation. However, even after Guterres’ visit, the Rafah crossing remains closed.
On the upcoming Saturday, Guterres is expected to participate in a conference hosted by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, alongside leaders from Arab, European, and African nations. The primary focus will be on building momentum for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance.
Unfortunately, not a single one of the symbolic 20 trucks has entered Gaza, although the humanitarian needs in the territory demand the equivalent of thousands of truckloads of relief, as noted by Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Egeland suggested that the US, the UK, Germany, and the EU could be responsible for conducting security checks at the border, as demanded by Israel. He emphasized that it’s a matter of will, adding that each hour without a ceasefire results in more child casualties.
The Israeli military disclosed that it struck 100 “operational targets” overnight, with the intention of destroying tunnel entrances, ammunition depots, and numerous operational command centers.
Regrettably, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, which had provided shelter for hundreds of displaced Palestinians, fell victim to an airstrike, as reported by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Palestinian health officials. Gaza’s Hamas-run government claimed that 18 Christian Palestinians lost their lives in this tragic incident, pushing the Palestinian death toll in Gaza to over 3,800 in the past 13 days.
Airstrikes persisted in southern Gaza, an area where residents from the north were previously instructed by Israel to seek refuge.
Rescue teams, primarily the Palestinian Civil Defense, have faced severe challenges in carrying out their mission due to continuous airstrikes, critical shortages of fuel for vehicles and equipment, and limited or no mobile network connectivity, as conveyed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in their daily update. Gaza’s only chemotherapy hospital is struggling to provide adequate care for 9,000 cancer patients due to the conditions.
Over a million people in Gaza have been compelled to evacuate their homes, many relocating to southern Gaza in accordance with Israeli orders. More than half of these individuals are crammed into shelters, where the daily water ration has dwindled to just one liter per person, as reported by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). UNRWA further noted that the overcrowded shelters face severe shortages of food, hygiene and cleaning supplies, and potable water. These dire conditions, coupled with the trauma stemming from the ongoing war, have led to escalating tensions among internally displaced people in the shelters. There is even anecdotal evidence suggesting that some displaced Palestinians are opting to leave the shelters