File Photo: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. AFP
“I demand the exercise of maximum pressure to ensure the continuous and sufficient flow of aid into the Strip,” said Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, speaking after a meeting with regional counterparts in southern Turkey, AFP reported.
Israel closed all crossings into Gaza on 2 March, halting the entry of food, fuel and other goods. The move has exacerbated already severe shortages, driven up prices and deepened what aid agencies warn is a fast-accelerating famine in parts of the territory.
The humanitarian crisis has grown steadily worse over recent weeks. Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced from their homes, and many are living in makeshift shelters. Fuel is critically needed to power hospitals, water pumps, bakeries, telecommunications, and aid trucks. Without it, large parts of the strip are facing a total breakdown in basic services.
In tandem, relentless Israeli bombardment has destroyed 72 percent of homes and most of Gaza’s schools and hospitals, according to local authorities.
With tens of billions of dollars in arms supplied by the US, Israel has killed at least 50,886 people and wounded more than 115,875, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Thousands more are believed to be trapped under the rubble of flattened buildings.
Journalists and aid workers have also been targeted, with dozens killed in Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, families sheltering in tents have resorted to digging trenches in the frozen earth to shield their children from airstrikes and the bitter cold.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that famine is imminent if aid deliveries are not urgently restored. The UN and other organisations say that without food, clean water and medical supplies, Gaza's population — already pushed to the brink — faces the risk of mass starvation.
Short link: