Israel continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza despite the ceasefire

Special Envoy to JerusalemThe exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners Monday marked a moment of relief and hope in Gaza, but the suffering is not over. There can't even be talk of peace: two Israeli drones killed five Palestinians in eastern Gaza City on Tuesday, in circumstances that remain unclear. The Strip is devastated after two years of bombing indiscriminate attacks that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Israel has subjected a population of 2.3 million to planned starvation, and has reduced the vast majority of buildings and infrastructure to rubble: homes, hospitals, water treatment plants, the electricity grid, and roads.

The ceasefire agreement provides for a massive influx of humanitarian aid, just before winter, and international agencies have thousands of tons of food ready, but Israel continues to block the entry of vital material for the population that has survived two years of genocide. The challenge is enormous: Gaza is experiencing the worst hunger crisis of its time.

But the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt, the lung of Gaza, remains closed. Israel has said it would not open it this Tuesday and that starting Wednesday it would allow 300 trucks to enter, half of what was agreed upon. The argument is that Hamas has not handed over the bodies of the 28 Israelis who died in captivity in the Strip since October 7, 2023. The Islamists had already warned at the time the agreement was signed last week that they were unable to return all the bodies, and Gas was asked to locate them. After handing over the 20 live hostages, Hamas handed over four bodies on Tuesday, three of whose identities have been confirmed by Israel, leaving one pending identification, and 24 still inside the Strip. Israeli authorities have identified the bodies of a 23-year-old Nepalese hostage, Bipin Joshi; a 22-year-old Israeli soldier, Daniel Shimon Peretz, who died in the October 7 attack; a young Israeli, Guy Llouz; and a 53-year-old kibbutz resident, Yossi Sharabi. This Tuesday evening, Israel confirmed the handover of four more bodies by Hamas.

"The job is not done, the deceased [hostages] have not been returned as promised," Donald Trump also denounced on social media, aligning himself with Israel's argument. But despite this—and despite the blockage of humanitarian aid—Trump has declared the first phase of the agreement complete: "Phase two starts right now!" A second phase that will have to address some of the most complicated points, such as the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. When a journalist asked him about this last point at a press conference, Trump sought to pressure the Islamist militant group and threatened to "violently disarm it" if it did not do so voluntarily.

"Every hour is critical"

Since the ceasefire went into effect on Friday, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in dribs and drabs. The main humanitarian actor on the ground, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), has confirmed to this newspaper that it has not yet received authorization to bring even a single truck into Gaza. Israel says that 400 trucks have entered since last Wednesday, information that UN sources consulted by ARA have not been able to confirm. And while the agreement signed in Egypt speaks of 600 trucks per day, this Tuesday Israel said that only 300 will be allowed in starting Wednesday.

"In a situation of widespread malnutrition like the one in Gaza, every hour lost is critical," UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler told ARA. "The entry of aid cannot be delayed even a moment longer." The agency has been unable to deliver anything to Gaza since March 2, when, still under the truce agreed upon at the end of January, Israel unilaterally decided to close the Rafah crossing. Fowler explains that In their warehouses in Egypt and Jordan, they have enough food to feed the population of Gaza for three months.Specifically, food packages designed to cover the nutritional needs of families of five for two weeks: rice, legumes, canned vegetables and fish, sugar, and protein-rich biscuits. They also have hygiene kits prepared with soap and other basic items such as diapers and disinfectant materials to prevent the spread of epidemics.

UNRWA's humanitarian aid accounts for half of the total UN agencies have ready to send to Gaza. But a year ago, Israel outlawed the agency and cut off all ties, alleging without evidence that it had ties to Hamas. "Maintaining this ban is equivalent to blocking half of the humanitarian aid available in the region for Palestinians in Gaza," Fowler warns.

And beyond supplies, aid distribution must be taken into account, an extremely complicated operation in the conditions of destruction and hunger in Gaza. UNRWA is the main humanitarian actor within the Strip: it has 12,000 workers, most of them Palestinians, the infrastructure of warehouses and vehicles, and knowledge of the terrain and the communities. No one can distribute aid en masse with any degree of safety, ensuring that it reaches the most vulnerable population. The experience of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the parallel structure set up by the United States and Israel last spring, was catastrophic: its food distribution points, run by mercenaries, became killing points for young people, who had to survive pitched battles and snipers to get a sack of flour for their families.

Médecins Sans Frontières continues to operate.

Independent NGOs working inside Gaza don't have it easy either, as Joan Tubau, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, explains from his office in Jerusalem. "Two weeks ago, we had to leave Gaza City due to the Israeli offensive. Airstrikes were getting closer and closer to our healthcare facilities, homes, and warehouses, making the situation unsustainable. Furthermore, ground forces and tanks were approaching. We withdrew to the center and to El Bal, reclaimed two field hospitals from the war, and are directly supporting the Palestinian hospitals in Al Shifa and Al Nasser. MSF has carried out reconnaissance missions and is already preparing to return to work in the city. Regarding the influx of aid, Tubau emphasizes that "not everything necessary or everything established in the agreement is coming in," but the NGO has been able to maintain some supplies of fuel and medical supplies.

The population's healthcare needs are enormous. "We're talking about half a million people in Gaza City, who have had to be displaced repeatedly in the last two years. There are thousands of injuries of varying severity, vaccination campaigns have been interrupted, and winter is approaching, all with only two hospitals functioning at 10%. And not even a bread oven." Tubau warns that "the border is not opening how to open" and that the population urgently needs medicine, fresh food, fuel to keep hospitals and water treatment plants running, and spare parts for ambulances and emergency equipment. "The border crossings with Israel have been closed so that the necessary aid can be delivered. He adds that Israel has assured them that the Rafah and Eretz crossings in the north of the Strip will be opened in the coming days: "We hope it will be as soon as possible," he concludes.

The UN has unveiled an emergency plan to massively increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, aiming to send hundreds of trucks daily and reach more than two million people. The program plans to distribute food and cash to 200,000 families, restore water and sanitation services for 1.4 million people, reactivate the health system, set up winter shelters, and reopen educational spaces for 700,000 children. The organization is calling for ten key measures, including the weekly entry of 1.9 million liters of fuel, the restoration of cooking gas, more safe corridors, protection for civilians and humanitarian workers, access to NGOs, and urgent funding to reverse the crisis.