By Ogun Duru and Turgut Alp Boyraz
JERUSALEM (AA) - Over 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are braving Israeli bombings and severe shortages of essential supplies like food, water, medicine, and fuel.
The Israeli government has imposed a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, severely restricting the entry of essential goods by air, land, and sea.
The latest conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched a relentless air campaign against the Gaza Strip.
So far, nearly 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 6,546 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
Under growing international pressure, Israel permitted symbolic aid shipments into Gaza, including a convoy of 20 trucks without essential fuel for hospitals. Two more convoys followed on Sunday (14 trucks) and Monday (20 trucks), bringing only a fraction of what is needed in besieged Gaza.
UN officials say that to meet the basic needs of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, a minimum of 100 truckloads of aid must be delivered daily due to the dangerously low food, water, and fuel stocks.
- Egypt, Hamas want aid to enter
Egyptian authorities are prepared to facilitate aid entry to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza and prevent their exile to Sinai.
Aid from several countries, including Türkiye, is being collected at Egypt's Arish Port for Gaza.
Another authority that needs to grant approval for the delivery of aid is the Hamas leadership, which controls the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing.
Hamas' foreign media spokesman, Velid Kilani, told Anadolu that there are no specific conditions for the entry of aid, and they are ready to allow aid to enter.
Blaming Israel for blocking aid, Kilani said the number of allowed aid trucks into Gaza has been minimal and symbolic.
He said: “Israel is trying to exert pressure on the resistance by blocking aid to the people of Gaza.”
Kilani said there are no conditions for aid to go north of the enclave and that they want all aid to enter.
The storage and distribution of aid that has reached Gaza are managed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
- Obstacle to aid
Since the Egyptian government and Hamas authorities want aid to reach Gaza, the only remaining obstacle is Israel.
Israeli Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesman Joe Lion told Anadolu that they would allow aid to enter Gaza only if they were "100% certain it won't fall into the hands of Hamas."
In response to a question about whether they expect this guarantee from the Egyptian government or the UN, Lion said: "I can't share this information as it is confidential, but there is a mechanism in place."
- Israel opposes aid going to northern region
Lion stated that they would only allow limited humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, insisting it should stay in the southern part along the Gaza River, which they consider a "safe zone."
However, Israeli forces continue targeting civilians even in this area they call safe.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, addressing the UN Security Council, said: “Thankfully, some humanitarian relief is finally getting into Gaza. But it is a drop of aid in an ocean of need. In addition, our UN fuel supplies in Gaza will run out in a matter of days. That would be another disaster.
“Without fuel, aid cannot be delivered, hospitals will not have power, and drinking water cannot be purified or even pumped. The people of Gaza need continuous aid delivery at a level that corresponds to the enormous needs. That aid must be delivered without restrictions.”
He also called for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”
“The relentless bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, the level of civilian casualties, and the wholesale destruction of neighborhoods continue to mount and are deeply alarming.”
- Blocking humanitarian aid is war crime
A blockade, under international humanitarian law, is a method used by one party in a conflict to control the passage of all ships and aircraft to hinder the other party's relations with third states by besieging their ports.
This method is designed to hinder the besieged party's access to open seas and disrupt their commercial activities.
A blockade violates international humanitarian law when it severely impacts the basic livelihood of civilians and goes beyond affecting the warring parties. Therefore, international humanitarian law prohibits collective punishment, including full blockades like the one imposed on Gaza.
Israel, considered an occupying power, cut off water and electricity in clear violation of the laws of war and is considered a war crime.
The fact that Hamas also uses the electricity and water infrastructure does not legitimize the punishment of over 2 million people in Gaza.
Depriving all of Gaza's population of basic humanitarian necessities to hinder Hamas' access to electricity and water goes against the principles of proportionality and necessity in international humanitarian law, constituting a war crime.