Finns in Gaza are still waiting to get out of the area. The humanitarian crisis in the region is deepening.
Elsa Osipova,
Jussi Nurminen
The Gaza border crossing will not open today, the head of the Finnish mission in Ramallah Päivi Peltokoski confirms to .
Peltokoski received the information on Friday morning from the Israeli authorities.
– The situation of the Finns in southern Gaza has not changed in recent days. A few Finnish citizens have been waiting near the border for about a week. Everyone has remained healthy, but there is little food and water available, Peltokoski tells .
Egyptian sources said yesterday that the Rafah border crossing was scheduled to open today, Friday, the American CNN reported.
Also the President of the United States Joe Biden has mentioned Friday as a possible opening day.
The trucks are waiting at the border
Finnish executive director of the organization Doctors Without Borders Linda Konate describes as problematic that there is currently only one border crossing in Gaza from which aid can be delivered to civilians.
– It is shocking that we are in a situation where there is a deep humanitarian crisis at hand, and aid cannot be delivered, Konate says to .
He emphasizes that the border must be opened quickly and crossing it must be made safe.
The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are completely dependent on international humanitarian aid. The fact that the border between Egypt and Gaza remains closed means delays in aid transport.
Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the Rafah border crossing must be opened for aid transport as soon as possible.
According to the WHO, there is a long line of trucks waiting to cross the border between Egypt and Gaza. The trucks contain medicines, water purifiers, blankets and foodstuffs that the Palestinians desperately need.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid cannot cross the border. Israel has declared a blockade on Gaza, which prevents the movement of goods and people across the border.
Biden tried during his visit to Israel negotiate on opening the border for aid transports. Under Biden’s leadership, it was agreed to allow 20 trucks across the border.
The situation in Gaza is weakened by the fact that for 13 days, Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes in the area in retaliation for the attack launched by the terrorist organization Hamas.
The roads have been damaged by Israeli bombing and must be repaired before traffic can be opened.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) said this week that its aid convoy has been waiting at the Gaza border for days, but is unable to cross the border safely.
The WFP says the convoy is carrying food that would be enough for almost 500,000 people for a week.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening
WFP warned on Tuesday, that Gaza’s food reserves are running out. According to the WFP statement, according to estimates, there is only 4-5 days of food in Gaza. Food is running out in Gaza by next week, the UN has warned.
This week, the UN has repeatedly warned of a water shortage in Gaza.
According to the UN, most of the inhabitants of the region are without clean water. According to the UN, fuel must be obtained in the area to pump water from the wells, otherwise diseases can start to spread quickly in the area.
– As a last resort, people use brackish water from agricultural wells, which causes serious concern about the spread of diseases, the UN statement says.
More than a million people have fled their homes in Gaza since the conflict erupted on October 7.
According to Israel, more than 1,400 Israelis have died in the attack by Hamas. According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 3,700 people have died in Israeli counterattacks. In addition, thousands of people have been injured.
Source: AFP