Amjad Shawa, head of the NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, said that the Israeli army's declaration of a "humanitarian truce" in the Gaza Strip is a partial truce lasting several hours to ensure the entry of aid.
He explained in a phone call with the official WAFA news agency that this only applies to several locations identified by the occupation army, namely densely populated areas hosting thousands of displaced persons, most notably Al-Mawasi and Deir al-Balah.
He pointed out that the 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip live on an area of no more than 46 square kilometers, representing no more than 12% of the total area of the Strip.
Al-Shawa explained that the number of trucks loaded with aid expected to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming hours ranges between 150 and 200, allowing it to mitigate the scale of the humanitarian disaster in the Strip, where the daily need is estimated at 1,000 trucks.
He stated that the trucks expected to enter will carry essential relief supplies, such as flour, food, medical supplies, hygiene materials, and water purification supplies, through the United Nations and international organizations such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, in addition to the Egyptian side and the Jordanian Hashemite Commission.
The head of the Gaza Strip's NGO Network noted that the occupation's announcement that aid distribution is the responsibility of UN agencies represents an Israeli admission of the failure of the effort to remove the UN and humanitarian organizations from the scene, and their replacement by an attempt to promote the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has established centers of daily death, killing, and humiliation for the people of the Gaza Strip.
He added, "The presence of international organizations is of utmost importance, especially since they operate within the principles of humanitarian action, ensuring the safety and dignity of citizens."
He added that aid distribution will be conducted according to a mechanism overseen by international organizations and Palestinian civil society organizations in partnership with the United Nations. This will be done within databases that ensure everyone receives aid, and according to top priorities that take into account female-headed households, people with disabilities, the elderly, the sick, and the wounded. This will be done through hundreds of distribution centers operating on the ground to facilitate citizens' access to aid.
Al-Shawa appealed to the people of the Gaza Strip not to obstruct or stop the trucks, and to ensure their safe passage to warehouses and distribution centers so that distribution operations can begin immediately, despite the extent of the suffering they have endured over the past period.
He called on citizens not to put their lives in danger by heading to areas where the Israeli occupation has forced them to flee, especially since the occupation has not announced its withdrawal from any of the areas. Any return would be a life-threatening situation, especially given the limited humanitarian truce of several hours to ensure the entry of aid.
Powered by Froala Editor
שתף את דעתך
Director of NGOs: The declared truce is "partial" and does not include all of Gaza.