LONDON: The Norwegian Refugee Council has warned that 2,000 aid trucks are stuck in Egypt at the Rafah border crossing, while Palestinians in Gaza are being “actively deprived” of basic goods.
Rafah is the last area of the Gaza Strip that has not yet been fully invaded by Israeli forces, and there are now fears that an operation to capture the southern city is imminent.
The head of NRC operations in Gaza, Suze van Meegen, told the media that the city of Rafah now consists of three completely different worlds: the east is the archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is an overburdened mass of people living in deplorable conditions.
She said medical supplies, tents, water tanks and food were being held up at the border, and in some cases Palestinians in Gaza had been displaced up to nine times since Israel launched a military operation last October.
“People have no choice but to put their faith in the so-called ‘humanitarian safe zones’ designated by the forces that have killed their family members and destroyed their homes,” Meegen added.
According to Israeli media, Israel was moving ahead with plans to occupy Rafah with tacit US support.
It comes despite US President Joe Biden’s earlier warnings against Israel attacking “population centers” and with the International Court of Justice ruling on the legality of Israel’s Gaza campaign after South Africa brought a case accusing Israel of genocide in December.
