More than a month and a half have passed since a ceasefire in Gaza was declared. 600 trucks bringing food, medicine, tents, fuel, and other basic necessities into the Strip were required as part of the agreement.
We’ve grown used to official pronouncements about daily truck crossings across the border. Releases include photos, careful documentation of crossings, and celebration-filled announcements.
Since the ceasefire began, 4,200 trucks carrying humanitarian goods have been bringing into Gaza each week. Since the start of the ceasefire, more than 16 600 food trucks have entered Gaza. 70% of the trucks that entered carried food. The Israeli occupation authorities’ November 26 update claims that there are more than 370, 000 tons of food.
The Palestinians in Gaza are regarded as having the highest levels of nutrition worldwide.
There are indeed many commercial trucks allowed in that carry food that is low nutritional value, like chocolate bars and biscuits, or that is too expensive, like frozen chicken that costs $25 per kilogram or a tray of eggs for $30, but it is unclear to many of us how Israel counts the “trucks of food” in this context.
The official count is also questioned by humanitarian organizations. Only half of the food aid needed for Gaza is imported, according to the World Food Programme. Only a quarter of the needed aid is actually allowed to enter, according to Palestinian relief organizations.
And then only a small portion of that amount actually gets to the displaced, impoverished, injured, and hungry. Because a large portion of the aid that enters Gaza ends up in a “Bermuda triangle”
On the map, the distance between the border and the displacement camps, where aid should be distributed, appears short, but in reality, it is the longest in terms of both security and political terms.
Yes, many trucks that pass through never reach the families who require the most supplies.
Trucks are mentioned, but no humanitarian packages are visible. They hear rumors of tons of flour, but they don’t see any bread. They never see trucks coming to their camps or neighborhoods, despite watching videos of them entering the Strip. Gaza appears to be the only place the aid leaves in the dark.
Recently, street conversation about the unaccounted for has gotten louder, especially now that basic food items have suddenly appeared in neighborhood markets but still have labels that read “Humanitarian Aid Not for Sale.” Cans of chicken meat marked “this label” are available for $15 each.
Aid packages frequently lack the promised items even when they reach the needy. For instance, when my family opened a food package that was supposed to contain six bottles of cooking oil, there were only three bottles of cooking oil and no rice.
Not just corruption, either. The Israeli army has been systematically destroying Gaza’s institutions after two years of the genocidal war. There is no organized body with the power to maintain public order and security.
From May 19 through November 29, 8035 aid trucks made it to their destinations in Gaza, according to the UN’s aid monitoring system, and 727 were “intercepted” either “peacefully” or “forcefully” between those dates.
Trucks are frequently forced to travel dangerous routes because the Israeli army places restrictions on the roads they can use. Some roads can only be used by armed groups and are not used by powerful neighborhood groups or neighborhood committees. A few dozen kilometers of travel is made possible by all of this. Aid enters Gaza’s “Bermuda triangle” in this manner.
International organizations are also unable to impose security. Because of the risk, they are unable to take trucks with them, and they are unable to accurately track every shipment. They rely on a system full of gaps that various parties can quickly exploit because of their reliance on local committees and volunteers.
Who actually benefits from the end of aid, in the middle of all this?
Some businesses are seeking quick profits. Local armed organizations are looking for cash sources. And there are, of course, the occupation and its allies, who want to keep using hunger as a means of political pressure. They all get relief from the suffering of regular Palestinians.
Since the ceasefire, there has been less attention to what is happening in Gaza. The world’s population is relieved that the genocide has ended, and it no longer wonders why Palestinians are receiving aid.
The disappearance of aid is being normalized in policy and political circles, as if it were a natural outcome of conflict. However, it is not an engineered crisis intended to be yet another form of collective punishment for the Palestinian people.
Trucks are disappearing into Gaza’s “Bermuda triangle,” but the strength of Palestinians to keep going is another factor as the world chooses to ignore it once more.
Source: Aljazeera
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