The food and fuel stocks in Rafah risk running out on Saturday, according to the UN agency Unicef’s disaster coordinator in the area.
– We are scraping the bottom of the barrel, he says.
At the same time, Israel’s military orders the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the hard-hit border town.
The border crossing to Rafah – from Egypt – was closed by Israel earlier this week. Since then, the flow of supplies to the border town is said to have decreased sharply.
As early as Saturday, food stocks for residents in the southern part of the Gaza Strip are expected to run out, according to Unicef’s disaster coordinator Hamish Young, and the last functioning bakery is about to run out of fuel.
Affecting the hospitals
Young warns that the lack of fuel risks also reducing the availability of drinking water and sanitation facilities. This means that the hospitals in the area can no longer provide vital care.
Without fuel, the desalination plants and water wells cannot function, the sewage system cannot function. And our trucks cannot transport the vital humanitarian aid to the people in need, says Young at a press conference on Friday.
More risks for displaced persons
A large part of Gaza’s population has fled to Rafah during the war, according to the UN, 1.4 million people recently resided there. As the shortage of supplies increases, Israel has ordered evacuations of the eastern parts of the city ahead of expanded military operations. Israel’s military stated on Saturday that 300,000 people had taken refuge in al-Mawasi, where the so-called safe zone is located.
According to Unicef, queues are long – and conditions are difficult – along the roads to al-Mawasi.
The roads to Mawasi are full of traffic, with many hundreds of trucks, buses, cars and donkey carts loaded with people and belongings, says Hamish Young.
Displaced people are at even greater risk of disease, infection, malnutrition, dehydration and other protection and health problems, he continues.