Location at an overview: The first relief supplies reach Gaza – fights continue

In view of the procedure of the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing emergency of the civilian population, international pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is growing. According to an Israeli authority, relief supplies reached the sealed coastal area for the first time in almost three months – but only in a minimal amount. At the same time, Israel’s new military offensive continues. The heads of state and government of France, Great Britain and Canada spoke of a “completely disproportionate” escalation on Monday evening – and directed a warning to Netanyahu’s government.

“If Israel does not stop the renewed military offensive and do not remove the restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will react with other concrete measures,” said France President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Strandmer and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney.

Netanyahu countered that Israel will not move away from his war goals and “continue to defend itself with just” until the full victory has won “. Netanyahu had carried out what that means on Monday: “We will take control of all areas of the Gaza Strip.” According to his idea, Israeli soldiers should remain stationed in Gaza in the future. The Islamist organization Hamas wants to have Netanyahu completely smashed.

Un for auxiliary deliveries: “drops on hot stone”

According to the Israeli authority Cogat responsible for Palestinian matters, five trucks with relief goods reached the densely populated coastal area on Monday via the Kerem Schalom border crossing. According to its own statements, Israel wants to ensure a basic supply and prevent a famine in a large -scale gaza strip, where around two million Palestinians after more than one and a half years of war as a lack.

From the point of view of the UN and aid organizations, these deliveries are far from sufficient. UN-NOTILFECORORINATOR TOM Fletcher said that the approval of resuming “limited” help by Israel was a “welcome development” that must continue. “But this is just a drop on the hot stone compared to what is urgently needed.”

According to the UN, a total of nine trucks had been given the permission of the Israeli authorities on Monday to enter Gaza. Since the cogat authority spoke of five trucks, it was initially not clear, which is why the other trucks mentioned by the UN did not get to Gaza.

Federal government appeals to Israel

Before the beginning of the Gaza War in October 2023, around 500 trucks had transported goods to the coastal area every day. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric also emphasized that the aid deliveries are still inadequate and hundreds of trucks are needed. “Of course, nine trucks are better than no trucks, but we need a massive increase in humanitarian aid, we need a massive influx of food, food oil, fuel to cover this need.”

In a joint appeal to Israel, the Foreign Minister of Germany and around 20 other donor countries demanded significantly more aid deliveries to allow in the Gaza Strip. “Allow the United Nations and the Humanitarian Organizations to work independently and impartially to save lives, to alleviate and maintain the dignity,” says the letter published by the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

Almost three months of blockade ended

Since the beginning of March, Israel had left no aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip. As a reason, Netanyahu’s government stated that Hamas continued to sell the relief goods profitably to pay terrorists and weapons for their fight against the Jewish state. On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office surprisingly announced that it would allow aid deliveries to the area again.

According to media reports, relief supplies such as flour, baby food and fuel will now – as before – with the help of international organizations in the sealed coastal strips, a new distribution mechanism will be implemented by the end of the month. According to this, the goods will only be distributed by a few locations in the Gaza Strip in the future. The UN see this planned mechanism critically, among other things because civilians could get into the crossfire on the way to distribution centers and the way there could be an insurmountable hurdle for old and sick people.

Dozens of deaths reported in Gaza

However, the fighting in the Gaza Strip continues unabated in the course of the new Israeli major offensive. There have been violent air strikes for days, the Palestinian authorities report dozens of dead on site every day – although their information is hardly to be checked independently. In the meantime, soil troops are also in use.

The new offensive plunges the population, which already lives under catastrophic conditions, into even greater fear of existence and death. Many of the people fear being driven away – sometimes again. The cities of Chan Junis and Gaza are currently particularly affected by the new offensive.