The United Nations (UN) said on Thursday that distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip has become "almost impossible" due to the ongoing war between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which has been going on for over 200 days.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) mentioned that irregular fuel supply and disrupted communications in Gaza have made it extremely difficult to distribute aid. The statement, posted on the social media platform X, also highlighted that key crossings for aid into Gaza have been closed for several days, making access to the Palestinian enclave unsafe and logistically unfeasible.
On May 5, Israel closed the only commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom with Gaza after a Hamas rocket attack near an Israeli military point resulted in the death of four soldiers. Although the crossing briefly reopened on May 8, militants from southern Gaza's Rafah fired eight rockets toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel. Additionally, the Israeli army announced "operational control" of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, effectively closing off a crucial entry point for aid from Egypt into Gaza.
OCHA and other humanitarian organizations have warned of the severe impact of these closures on over 2 million Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza. In response, the Jordan Armed Forces conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid over various locations in southern Gaza, demonstrating Jordan's commitment to assisting Gazans in overcoming the difficult conditions.
Moreover, Eyewitnesses in Gaza reported the sighting of aircraft dropping food aid through parachutes in Al-Mawasi, an open area along the southwestern coast of the enclave. This is the first eyewitness report of an aid drop operation in Rafah since the Israeli army's renewed attacks on the southernmost Gazan city last week.
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