UNICEF: Gaza faces full-scale humanitarian catastrophe; aid not getting through
Al-Khamisa News Network - Gaza
Hamish Young, UNICEF’s senior emergency coordinator, described the situation in the Gaza Strip as “catastrophic,” stressing the need to allow all essential supplies entry without restrictions and saying that “the quality of aid is as important as its quantity.”
Young said Palestinians urgently need tents, tarpaulins and clean drinking water, along with equipment to produce and distribute water, fuel, and pipes to repair wells and desalination plants.
He noted that 50 UNICEF trucks loaded with medical supplies and hygiene items are still waiting for permission to enter, at a time when children in Gaza face a real threat to their lives.
He confirmed that since the ceasefire on Oct. 10, only 653 trucks have entered, despite the agreement stipulating 600 trucks per day, pointing to severe shortages of food and shelter and widespread destruction of hospitals.
Young urged that 600 trucks be allowed in daily, including aid from UN agencies and the private sector, in addition to 50 fuel and cooking gas trucks, and called for guarantees of freedom of movement within Gaza to deliver assistance to the children and families most in need.
