2,000 aid vehicles are stranded in Egypt at the Rafah border crossing, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council, depriving Palestinians in Gaza of necessities and forcing them to live in “active deprivation.”
There are still areas of Gaza that have not been completely overrun by Israeli forces, and there are growing concerns that an operation to capture the southern city of Rafah may soon take place.
“The city of Rafah is now comprised of three entirely different worlds: the east is an archetypal war zone, the middle is a ghost town, and the west is a congested mass of people living in deplorable conditions,” said Suze van Meegen, head of operations for the NRC in Gaza, in an interview with the BBC.
She claimed that food, water tanks, tents, and medical supplies are being held up at the border, and that since Israel began its military operation in Gaza last October, Palestinians there have sometimes been forced to flee up to nine times.
“Those who have killed their family members and destroyed their homes have no choice but to place their faith in so-called humanitarian safe zones,” the speaker continued.
According to Israeli writer Amos Harel, who spoke with the BBC, Israel is proceeding with its intentions to capture Rafah with implicit backing from the US.
“It’s obvious that the United States is no longer attempting to stop Israel from taking over Rafah. In order for the Israelis to move cautiously and not too soon. However, the question of whether or not the Israelis will seize Rafah is becoming less relevant. It’s obvious that they are,” he remarked.
This occurs in spite of US President Joe Biden’s previous cautions against Israel bombing “population centers,” and the International Court of Justice is about to make a decision regarding the legitimacy of the Israeli assault in Gaza following a lawsuit filed by South Africa in December that charges Israel of genocide.
