Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has expressed strong dissatisfaction upon discovering that a significant amount of aid intended to feed starving Palestinians is stranded in a warehouse. The aid, consisting of around 5,000 pallets equating to 4,000 metric tonnes of essential items like wheat flour, tinned goods, yeast, and sugar, is currently stockpiled in a World Food Programme (WFP) facility near Amman, Jordan, due to restrictions imposed by Israel.
Despite the presence of adequate aid in Jordan that could facilitate the delivery of assistance to Gaza, the main crossing from Jordan to the West Bank has been closed to goods vehicles by Israeli authorities. Ms. Cooper emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the stored wheat alone could sustain 700,000 people for a month, underscoring the critical need for the aid to reach Gaza promptly.
Efforts to increase aid delivery to Gaza have been hindered by limitations imposed by the Israeli government, with NGOs accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration of impeding aid shipments and obstructing charitable organizations’ access to the region. Ms. Cooper, in collaboration with the UN, other allies, and a US-led coordinating committee, is advocating for the swift resumption of aid flows into Gaza.
Highlighting the pressing need for action before winter sets in, Ms. Cooper stressed the importance of providing shelter and essential supplies to over a million people in Gaza. She underscored the necessity of reopening the Jordanian route to expedite aid distribution and emphasized the significance of a comprehensive reconstruction program to restore proper housing for the affected population.
Expressing the urgency of the situation on the ground, Musonda Kasonde, deputy representative of operations at Unicef, described the conditions in Gaza as desperate, emphasizing the immediate requirement for assistance, particularly as winter approaches. The call for expedited access to deliver crucial aid to those in need remains paramount in the efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.