{"id":10131,"date":"2023-10-17T13:50:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/17\/desperately-needed-aid-piles-up-outside-gaza-as-who-warns-water-is-running-out\/"},"modified":"2023-10-17T13:50:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:50:28","slug":"desperately-needed-aid-piles-up-outside-gaza-as-who-warns-water-is-running-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/17\/desperately-needed-aid-piles-up-outside-gaza-as-who-warns-water-is-running-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Desperately needed aid piles up outside Gaza as WHO warns water is running out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vital humanitarian aid is piling up at the shuttered Gaza border, despite diplomatic efforts to open a corridor with Egypt, as the World Health Organization (WHO) <\/strong>warned that water is running out for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the bombarded territory. <\/p>\n

Gaza has been under siege by Israel for more than a week, in response to the deadly incursion by Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the coastal enclave, home to 2.2 million people. <\/p>\n

Some are gathering at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza hoping to leave, as critical supplies like fuel, food and water run short, leaving hospitals on the brink of collapse and families facing dehydration and starvation. <\/p>\n

Human rights groups have said Israel\u2019s complete blockade on essential goods entering Gaza is in violation of international law. Amnesty International warned the \u201ccollective punishment\u201d of civilians for Hamas\u2019 incursion amounts to a war crime. <\/p>\n

Israeli shelling has crushed the medical system in Gaza, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health urging people on Tuesday to donate blood amid severe drug and equipment shortages. <\/p>\n

Amid growing international pressure to address the humanitarian crisis, United States President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday, an extraordinary wartime visit that follows intense efforts by Secretary of State Antony Blinken across the Middle East \u2013 including a seven-hour negotiation session with top Israeli officials. <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Blinken announced that the US and Israel \u201chave agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, it is unclear if any progress was made on the opening of the Rafah crossing, the only entry point to Gaza not controlled by Israel. <\/p>\n

Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies show four 30-foot (9-meter) craters still blocking the roadway at the border crossing closest to the Egyptian gate; the cement slabs blocking the entrance are also visible in the photos. <\/p>\n

Water warnings<\/h2>\n

Urgent calls for help are growing on both sides of the border. <\/p>\n

On the Egyptian side, <\/strong>United Nations teams are waiting at the Rafah crossing, <\/strong>hoping they will be given the green light to enter Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor. <\/p>\n

In a social media post Monday, WHO warned that Gaza faces an \u201cimminent\u201d public health crisis, with water running out and the lives of more than 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals at immediate risk. <\/p>\n

There are about 84,000 pregnant women in Gaza, with many delivering every day, Harris said. \u201cBabies don\u2019t care about bombs, they come when they come.\u201d <\/p>\n

UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday to aid diplomatic efforts, according to a release from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. His trip will include a visit to Israel. <\/p>\n

A convoy of trucks carrying aid supplies was traveling through Egypt toward the crossing early Tuesday, according to state-affiliated media outlet Al-Qahera News. Much of the aid already arrived days ago, sent by multiple countries and international organizations. <\/p>\n

On the Gaza side, large numbers of evacuees have gathered by the crossing, part of the mass displacement that has seen at least 1 million people flee their homes in the past week alone, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). <\/strong> <\/p>\n

One family of five Palestinian-Americans, all US citizens, drove to Rafah on Monday after hearing the borders would be opened, said Haifa Kaoud, whose husband Hesham is among the five stuck in Gaza. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey drove down to Rafah on Monday and waited for hours, but it never opened,\u201d she said, adding: \u201cThey don\u2019t have much electricity or internet access, so they depend on us for information.\u201d <\/p>\n

The family had been visiting relatives in Gaza when the war broke out; now, their loved ones in the US are desperately trying to find ways to bring them home. <\/p>\n

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