UNICEF readies to open Egypt-Gaza border for humanitarian aid passage
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UNICEF’s representative in Egypt, Jeremy Hopkins, assures that UNICEF is working on the basis of understanding that a limited humanitarian corridor will open soon as priority remains for water and sanitation.
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Palestinian women with their children flee from their homes following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Palestine, Oct. 11, 2023. (AFP)
UNICEF’s representative in Egypt, Jeremy Hopkins, stated that aid agencies in Egypt were ready to send urgent humanitarian supplies into Gaza and in turn receive wounded Palestinians, although the Rafah border remains closed,
The crossing, the only way out of Gaza, was shut and bombed on Monday by Israeli forces, further stifling the blockaded strip in time of war as the Egyptian government has also noted its concern regarding the possible mass influx of Palestinian refugees when it opens again as the people of Gaza fear for their lives under the indiscriminate Israeli bombardment.
However, Hopkins assures that UNICEF is working on the basis of the understanding that a limited humanitarian corridor will open soon despite the dire situation in Gaza requiring ultimate urgency.
“The indication we have from this side is there will be an opportunity — a humanitarian corridor — where the crossing will be open for supplies,” he stated, adding that the top priority remains for water and sanitation since water and even fuel are required to run the water are “dwindling fast”.
“If we don’t get water and sanitation under control firstly … it can result in outbreaks of disease such as cholera,” he expressed, noting that UNICEF is cooperating with the Egyptian Red Crescent to transfer medical services in Egypt for particularly vulnerable Palestinians who may be allowed to cross over.
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“They are talking about small numbers of people — thousands but not hundreds of thousands — being allowed to cross the border to seek assistance,” he said.
This comes because Gaza has been blocked from access to food, water, medicine, and electricity, forced by Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hospitals in grave danger
According to the representative, Egypt is prepared to handle that large number, though a bigger influx would need the international community to amplify aid significantly, the same international community voicing support for the Israeli occupation. However, UNICEF is working on the basis that a larger flow of refugees into Egypt is “unlikely”.
Although the final death toll is uncertain, the number of martyrs in Gaza has exceeded 1,200, and the count is expected to rise further as people remain trapped beneath targeted buildings and ambulances struggle to reach them amid heavy fire.
Regrettably, this crisis will inevitably lead to health consequences, including the cessation of life-saving procedures such as cardiac catheterization, interventional surgeries, and cesarean sections. Furthermore, laboratory and blood bank services in 58 facilities are at risk of disruption.
Gaza's Health Ministry has declared that hospitals in the Gaza Strip are operating at full capacity, with patients even "lying on the floor" due to the high number of injuries resulting from the severe occupation aggression. They have further warned that health services in Gaza have reached a critical stage.
The United Nations announced Thursday that more than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Gaza due to intense Israeli shelling.
