The United Nations World Food Program warned on Thursday that the scarcity of food and water in Gaza is so grave that civilians are "facing the immediate possibility of starvation."
Similarly, the World Health Organization also raised concerns about the spread of disease in the enclave as weeks of Israel's military actions have led the civilian population to crowd into shelters with limited resources. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said on Friday that they had recorded more than 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and over 44,000 cases of diarrhea, according to Reuters.
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“Supplies of food and water are practically non-existent in Gaza and only a fraction of what is needed is arriving through the borders. With winter fast approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters, and the lack of clean water, civilians are facing the immediate possibility of starvation," WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said. "There is no way to meet current hunger needs with one operational border crossing. The only hope is opening another, safe passage for humanitarian access to bring life-saving food into Gaza."
The Israeli war Cabinet approved a plan on Thursday to allow fuel to enter Gaza from Egypt following pressure from the Biden administration, Axios reported. Fuel tankers carrying roughly 60,000 liters of fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing every day, an Israeli official told the outlet, while a U.S. official noted that the Israelis had said they would make this move about two weeks ago, and the delay caused United States leaders to press harder on the issue.
U.S. officials have frequently and publicly pushed Israeli leaders to do more to limit the impact its military operation has on Gaza civilians.
Israeli leaders have been reluctant to let resources into the strip over concerns that Hamas, the terrorist organization they're seeking to destroy, would take control of it and use it for themselves instead of giving it to civilians in need.
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Nearly 50 House Democrats wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday stressing “the critical need” for supplies in Gaza, Axios reported. The lawmakers acknowledged that “Hamas has played a major role in Gaza’s lack of fuel, due to the terror organization’s decision to hoard existing supplies,’ though they noted that there is “no evidence” of any recent aid being diverted by and to Hamas.
More than 800,000 internally displaced people are staying in more than 150 shelters run by UNRWA, the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.