Occupation Prevents Vital Supplies to Gaza and Suffering Continues in Health Sector

SadaNews - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirmed that Israel is preventing the entry of vital supplies to provide shelter and heating in the Gaza Strip despite the increasing need for them. Local and international officials have reported ongoing suffering in essential sectors and facilities due to the lack of necessary materials since the ceasefire. UNRWA stated today, Saturday, that "the need for shelter and warmth in Gaza is increasing as winter approaches, and we have the needed materials in Jordan and Egypt, but they are being prevented from entering." The agency emphasized the necessity for it to resume its role in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation continues to prevent UNRWA from resuming its work in Gaza despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice made last Wednesday, which affirmed that no organization can replace UNRWA in supporting the residents of Gaza. Struggling Health Services On another note, Dr. Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Association in Gaza City, stated that primary health services are still struggling due to the continued scarcity of resources. Abu Afash added in an interview with Al Jazeera, "We had hoped to bring in what the health sector needs, but suffering continues." He noted that mobile clinics and field hospitals are urgently needed for the residents of the sector and called for clear policies to revive the residents of Gaza - especially children - after two years of Israeli extermination warfare. In the same context, Andreas Krafvik, Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Israel has systematically targeted hospitals and health workers in Gaza and stressed the necessity of working on rehabilitating medical facilities in the sector. Krafvik also called on Israel to assume legal responsibility for introducing aid, emphasizing the need for more trucks carrying medical and food assistance and heavy machinery to remove rubble and clear debris. Closed Vital Crossings Meanwhile, the Gaza Municipality called on international and humanitarian organizations to urgently act to provide the essential needs to alleviate the humanitarian disaster in Gaza City, as Israel continues to close vital crossings leading to the northern sector. Gaza Municipality spokesman Asem Al-Nabiyeh stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that "everything done so far in the Gaza Strip is merely emergency measures." Al-Nabiyeh called for the opening of all crossings and indicated that a list of needs had been prepared and plans agreed upon for their entry into the sector. Water Crisis On another front, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that the water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors are in an extremely critical condition in Gaza. The organization added that the basic needs of families for water, sanitation, and hygiene have not yet been met, noting that half of Gaza's families receive less than the minimum humanitarian standard of water daily. UNICEF pointed out that over the past two years, the organization and its partners have only managed to prevent the complete collapse of the water and sanitation system. A ceasefire is currently in effect in the Gaza Strip under an agreement reached in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 9, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, with the participation of the United States, after two years of Israeli extermination. Despite the agreement, Israel has not ceased airstrikes and artillery bombardment in the Gaza Strip and continues to close the Rafah crossing between the Palestinian sector and Egypt, while aid trucks are still waiting on the Egyptian side of the crossing. Source: Al Jazeera