Interview: Humanitarian Aid for Gaza “Not Sufficient,” Says UNRWA Spokesman
(AWP) - Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, said the humanitarian aid entering the strip in recent days is insufficient to meet the enormous needs of the population deprived of basic supplies for past 50 days due to the Israeli war.
In an interview with the Arab World Press (AWP), he said, “A total of 193 trucks entered yesterday, of which UNRWA received about 137. There are also 139,000 litres of fuel. According to the information available to us, 61 trucks entered northern Gaza and Gaza City, carrying food, milk, blankets and water. This process is ongoing and good. However, due to huge humanitarian needs in the strip, we do not believe that 200 trucks over four days will make a difference to the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, whether in northern or southern Gaza.”
He estimated that more than 200 trucks are needed daily for two consecutive months to meet basic humanitarian needs such as food and water.
The UNRWA spokesman emphasised the need to have the commercial crossings opened to allow the entry of sufficient quantities of fuel to operate vital facilities and services.
He said, “We need sufficient amounts of fuel to operate water desalination plants, sewage treatment, hospitals and bakeries. We also need sufficient amounts of cooking gas, which is completely unavailable in houses and bakeries. Also, adequate amounts of medicine and specialized medical teams are needed to treat the wounded all over the Gaza Strip.”
Abu Hasna warned of the “deteriorating conditions of the residents and the displaced, whether in northern or southern Gaza”, due to the “lack of basic needs at the shelter centres and the collapse of the health sector.”
He said, “The health situation in both northern and southern Gaza is serious and deteriorating. There is a shortage of clean drinking water amid huge overcrowding in UNRWA’s shelter centres. We have more than a million displaced people in 156 centres.”
He explained that the services expected from UNRWA in Gaza exceed its capacity by double or triple what it used to provide before the Israeli war on the enclave.
Abu Hasna pointed out that up to 70 UNRWA schools and institutions have been targeted in Israeli shelling raids resulting in the killing of 110 members of its staff since October 7.