The First Trucks of Humanitarian Aid to Cross the Gaza Strip since an Israeli-Israeli Warfare Arrived at the Onset of Emergency Operations
JERUSALEM — Twenty trucks carrying medicine, medical supplies and food crossed into Gaza on Saturday morning from Egypt, marking the first humanitarian aid to arrive in the territory since an Israeli bombardment campaign began two weeks ago.
As the trucks made their way through the Rafah border, hundreds of foreign nationals gathered on the Gaza side, hoping to escape the violence. People were not allowed to leave. Aid agencies are hoping that more supplies will be delivered in the coming days, with 100 trucks sitting on the Egyptian side of the border. Hundreds of American citizens are trapped in Gaza, say U.S. officials.
One person was killed when the international airports of Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo were attacked by an Israeli air force jet early on Sunday, according to Syrian state media. The runways were no longer in use. The Israeli military did not comment immediately.
“These supplies are a lifeline for severely injured people or those battling chronic illnesses, who have endured a harrowing two weeks of limited access to care and severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies,” the WHO said in a statement.
aid workers at the border crossing said that the delivery included food, mattresses and blankets. Notably, no fuel arrived, which aid groups say is needed to power hospitals and desalination plants for much-needed water.
But aid groups have warned that 20 truckloads do not come close to addressing the humanitarian needs in Gaza, where the U.N. reports a severe shortage of potable water, food and medical supplies.
More than 100 trucks of aid remain on the Egyptian side of the border crossing. Additional aid is stockpiled in nearby El-Arish, with yet more set to arrive later today and in the days to come, the WHO said.
The difference between life and death for many people in Gaza is what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during a visit to the Egyptian side. To see them here makes me very clear that we need to move them to the other side of the wall.
Early on Saturday morning, the U.S. State Department alerted American citizens in Gaza of the border’s opening but warned that anyone attempting to cross should expect “a potentially chaotic and disorderly environment on both sides of the crossing.”
“The shelling is everywhere. We are sleeping next to the crossing, and we are frightened here more than if we had been inside,” said Mahmoud Abu Msallem, a Swedish citizen, who was at the border on Friday with his 6-year-old daughter Ghazal. He said that they had been here for days, trying to get out as soon as possible.
The U.S. War on the Gaza Strip and the Hamas-Israeli War on Oct. 7: Israel’s Need to Get Closer
An armed hostage rescue is considered too risky and dangerous at the moment, leaving officials from the constellation of countries feverishly continuing their negotiations.
Hamas leadership tried to distance themselves from the worst atrocities of Oct. 7 by Hamas fighters but now contend that it was angry Gazans who kidnapped the women and children, not their own fighters. Yet videos released by Hamas fighters themselves depict the brutal killing of unarmed civilians.
After Hamas attacked Israel, the United States sent more military supplies to Israel as it prepares for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. The president warned Iran and its allies to stay out of the war in an address from the Oval Office on Thursday, as well as saying he would seek extra funding for Israel from Congress.
Israel may have agreed to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza on Saturday morning, despite the release of hostages Friday night, according to a former head of the Shin Bet. He said Hamas’s motive might have been to inspire Israelis who have loved ones in captivity in Gaza to pressure their government to delay the impending ground invasion until more hostages are released.
There are still many questions of why, of all the 200 or so hostages, the Raanans were released. The two people who were injured may have been healthy, according to a former F.B.I. agent.
Another obvious reason the Raanans were chosen, Mr. D’Amico and others said, is that they are Americans — though there are up to 10 more Americans in captivity. It’s possible that Hamas is gaining good will from the Biden administration in hopes of defusing the Israeli response to Gaza. It is unclear how much Israel listens to what the Americans say about its war on Gaza, even though President Biden and his team have been closely advising it.
Hamas unleashed a large amount of rockets as cover after it launched attacks against Israel on October 7. The video of Hamas fighters and their suicide drones was shown on news stations all around the world and it caused a bit of paranoia.
The Israeli-Hamas War of Attrition, and the Violations of the Qassam Revisited
The earliest versions of its Qassam rocket were rudimentary: lightweight and capable of traveling just a few miles. In each successive generation of the missile, however, they became bigger, capable of flying farther, and equipped with larger warheads.
Israel and Hamas have waged a war of attrition over the past two decades, with Israel trying to frustrate Hamas’ efforts to extend its reach and develop its offensive capabilities.
Like more than 20 non-state actors in conflict zones around the world, Hamas recognized that the drones could substantially upgrade its ability to wage war. Unlike its unguided missiles that can be used to overwhelm Israel’s air defenses, drones are harder to intercept. They fly low and don’t travel in a predictable, parabolic arch. A number of countries recently learned that it is difficult to stop the advance of an advanced drone.
Iran and its allies have sharpened their language against Israel and the United States in the past two weeks, threatening to open new fronts in the war if the United States becomes more involved. The Navy shot down missiles in the Red Sea last week that the Pentagon said might have been headed toward Israel. The United States said that the projectiles are a sign of growing attacks by Iranian-backed forces in the region, including Houthi rebels in Yemen, highlighting the risk of a broader war in the region.
The next stages of the war between Israel and Hamas will mean intensifying its bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli military spokesman said.
Israel has confirmed that 212 people are being held hostage in Gaza. According to Richard Hecht, Israeli strikes killed dozens of Palestinian fighters, including the deputy chief of Hamas.
According to Reuters, many Palestinians said they had received renewed warnings from Israel’s military via leaflets and phone messages to move from north Gaza to the south of the enclave, with the added message that they “might be identified as an accomplice in a terrorist organization” if they stayed put. However, there have also been strikes in the south of Gaza, making it unclear whether moving is truly safe.
Israel said that it hit a “terrorist compound” in Jenin in the west bank and included people from a Hamas cell inside a mosque who were planning attacks.
Since the Hamas attack, there has been an increase in violence against Palestinians. At least five Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to Palestinian authorities, and rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.
Israel uses air power in the West Bank less often than it does in Gaza. Israel says its forces have detained over 700 suspects in the West Bank, including 480 members of Hamas, since the start of hostilities.
A soldier was hit by an anti-tank missile and Israel carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. “We are in the heart of the battle today,” said Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, on Saturday, the same day that the group said six of its fighters were killed.
The arrival of the U.S. Naval Airborne Forces in the Ypsilanti-Kobe-Saguaro Region
The US has deployed naval power to the area, including two aircraft carriers and around 2,000 Marines.
The arrival of the trucks is a small first but important start according to Lynn Hastings. It’s really a drop in the bucket.