Following Israel’s incursion into Rafah this week, the Israeli military briefly closed the Kerem Shalom crossing and seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, choking off the flow of food, fuel and medical supplies that were desperately needed at a time when Experts believe parts of Gaza are already suffering from famine and several have died from malnutrition.
According to United Nations data, the number of aid trucks entering Gaza last week reached its highest since October: a total of 1,674 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, the main points of aid entry to the enclave. But since Sunday, no aid trucks have entered Gaza through any of the entry points, even after Israel said it had reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday.
Israel has heavily restricted aid from entering Gaza since the war began, creating what aid experts say is a man-made hunger crisis. Humanitarians warn crisis will worsen without fuel needed for bakeries, hospitals to operate.
Here’s a look at the main aid routes into Gaza and its state.
Kerem Shalom
Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing after a Hamas attack on Sunday killed four of its soldiers in the area.
On Wednesday, Israel said it had reopened the crossing, but the United Nations and others disputed that claim because no trucks were being allowed through. On Friday afternoon, Israel allowed in at least 157,000 liters of fuel, according to Scott Anderson, a senior official at UNRWA, the UN agency for the Palestinians. But no humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, has arrived since Sunday, he said.
Egypt, which plays an important role in facilitating the collection and delivery of aid, has complicated matters by resisting sending trucks to Kerem Shalom, according to several Western and Israeli officials; American and Israeli officials believe Egypt is pressuring Israel to stop its invasion of Rafah.
The Kerem Shalom crossing has been a major artery for aid into Gaza since it opened in December and is where most aid trucks now enter. Before Israel’s incursion into Rafah, an average of 185 trucks entered Kerem Shalom daily last week, peaking at 270 trucks last Friday, according to United Nations data. Aid groups have said for months that at least 300 trucks a day are needed to prevent further malnutrition and worsening hunger.
Rafa
The Rafah crossing remains closed.
The crossing has been an important gateway for the wounded and sick to leave the enclave for medical treatment abroad. Gaza’s Health Ministry has said that dozens of people with diseases such as breast cancer and lymphoma have not been able to leave Gaza since Sunday.
Erez
The Erez crossing on Gaza’s northern border is open, but limited aid is arriving, according to data from COGAT, the Israeli agency that oversees aid delivery in Gaza, and a UNRWA official. It is the only border crossing in the north and did not open until last month following pressure from President Biden.
COGAT said on its website that 36 aid trucks and one fuel truck passed through the Erez crossing on Thursday. Anderson said UNRWA sent 67 trucks through the Erez crossing on Wednesday and nothing has happened since. The reason for the discrepancy between the numbers and days was not immediately clear.
Sending more aid to northern Gaza would be crucial to prevent more malnutrition-related deaths in the area. In March, health experts projected that northern Gaza would soon face a famine, and on Saturday, Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, said parts of Gaza were already in one. In mid-April, Gaza health officials said at least 28 children under 12 had died of malnutrition in hospitals and perhaps dozens more outside medical centers.
By sea
Since Gaza does not have an international dock of its own (Israel has for years prevented the construction of one), the US military said in March it would build a temporary dock to receive aid by sea, part of what it said was a multi-pronged effort to deliver aid. humanitarian to the enclave.
The Pentagon said Thursday that the floating dock and causeway had been completed, but that bad weather and sea conditions had prevented their installation. They remain in the Israeli port of Ashdod.
A US cargo ship, named Sagamore, departed Cyprus on Thursday, the Pentagon said, and ship tracking websites show the ship is positioned in Ashdod. The Sagamore is carrying more than 170 metric tons of nutrition bars, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, but it cannot be unloaded or distributed in Gaza until the dock is installed. It’s unclear when that might be, as the Pentagon said the installation would depend on weather and security conditions.
Airdrops
COGAT said Thursday that 117 packages were airdropped in northern Gaza that day. Airdrop operations began only in March to try to prevent a major humanitarian disaster as hunger grew in the Palestinian territory. COGAT said 99 airdrop operations had been completed by nine donor countries, including the United States and Jordan, since March.
But aid experts have criticized airdrops as perhaps the most inefficient way to deliver aid to Gaza and, in some cases, deadly. Airdropped aid packages in March fell on several Palestinians in Gaza City, killing five and wounding several more, according to Gaza health officials. In another case, a dozen Palestinians drowned while trying to retrieve packages that had been intentionally thrown into the water to prevent further deaths if their parachutes did not deploy.