aAfter an Israeli airstrike killed aid workers at the World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip, sparking global condemnation, international humanitarian agencies are increasing aid across the region threatened by famine. They said they continue to face violence and practical obstacles in their efforts to deliver.
UNICEF spokeswoman Tess Ingram told TIME by phone from Rafah on Sunday about the disastrous and failed attempt to deliver aid to northern Gaza a week after the World Central Kitchen attack. The convoy she was traveling in had been arranged in advance with the Israel Defense Forces, but it came under crossfire while waiting at a checkpoint. Ingram said he did not know who fired the shots, but that they appeared to be coming from the direction of the checkpoint, which he estimated was less than a kilometer (about half a mile) away.
The IDF said in a statement to TIME that an investigation determined that the troops “do not appear to have been within range of the convoy at the times and locations indicated, and no IDF fire was fired at the vehicle.” Stated. “IDF is working to prevent harm to humanitarian teams.”
Ingram said: “We believe it is important that an independent investigation be conducted to determine what happened and ensure the security we need to deliver aid in the future.” said.
The need is acute. Last month, the world's leading authority on food insecurity warned that one million people in Gaza faced imminent starvation. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health reported that as of April 12, 28 children had died from malnutrition and dehydration.
Despite the need, more than half of recently requested aid missions to northern Gaza have failed, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported. Between April 6 and 12, Israel facilitated 41% of missions, of which 41% were rejected or thwarted for reasons such as hostilities, and 17% were sent to aid organizations, primarily due to logistical constraints. canceled by.
Before the military attacked the convoy on April 2, World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated actions with Israel, and even coordinated missions can be dangerous. Seven aid workers died as a result, which Israel called a “grave mistake” and President Joe Biden said: Gives Israel an ultimatum: Increase food aid to Gaza and take steps to protect civilians or risk losing U.S. aid.
In response, Israel announced it would open new avenues to receive further aid, including crossing into northern Gaza. COGAT, the IDF's humanitarian arm, told TIME in an email that it is ramping up assistance, with more than 300 trucks entering Gaza every day over the last week.
Biden said Wednesday that the number of trucks is still “not enough.” Data from UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestine, shows only a slight increase (the agency counts trucks differently than COGAT, the Associated Press reported). COGAT accused the United Nations of not collecting aid, published a photo on X of supplies lined up in the Gaza Strip, and said: “The bottleneck is not on the Israeli side.”
“The real problem is that the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating major obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid,'' the UN Secretary-General said, adding that “the way Israel is carrying out this offensive is creating major obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid,'' including shelling and threats of combat against workers. It is carried out. According to the Aid Worker Safety Database, 217 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7.
“The increase in aid is not yet visible, sustained or uninterrupted.” Philip Lazzarini, Secretary “Aid must be safely delivered to all who need it,” UNRWA wrote of X.
Here's what Ingram told TIME about the challenges and needs of providing aid: The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What happened at the checkpoint on Tuesday?
What happened was that we hit the road and drove towards the Salah al-Din checkpoint on the Wadi Gaza line, well after the green light to leave. We were instructed to wait at a designated holding area for convoys, which is not unusual. While we were in the holding area, investigating a mechanical issue with the car, the shooting occurred.
Do you know what triggered it or where it came from?
I don't know what triggered it. It appeared to be coming from the south, in the direction of the checkpoint, and appeared to be coming towards the civilians, or what appeared to be civilians, before turning around and running in the opposite direction. I think I saw about a dozen people (I think they were civilians).
CDoes it explain the impact of gunfire on the convoy?
We were in a convoy of three cars and two trucks. Only one vehicle was affected and that was the vehicle I was riding in. I was hit by three bullets: one on the hood of the car, two on the right back seat door where I was sitting, and one on the hood of the car. One on the window and one on the door. A colleague in another car saw the bullet ricochet off the ground. Ahead of us at the staging area was another UN convoy from the World Food Program and the UN Project Services Office. They put a bullet through the windshield of a fuel truck.
We were very lucky that we were in an armored vehicle… Fortunately, we were unharmed.
What happened after the shooting?
We have decided to continue that mission. And basically that meant holding on until we got the green light. Unfortunately we stayed there for at least another 2 hours. And by that point, it was about 1 p.m., and the mission was no longer viable. Because I knew that even if I got the green light, I would have to travel north through the checkpoint, and then back to the checkpoint. You don't have the time you need to complete the mission. So we decided to turn back and try another day.
Today we are resuming our mission to the north. It was a 13-hour mission, nearly six of which were spent waiting for the green light. I'm really disappointed that I couldn't finish everything. We were able to implement the nutritional and medical aspects of the mission only at Kamal Adwan Hospital. I was on the ground at the hospital for about 45 minutes and that was it.
We delivered an entire truckload of medical and nutritional supplies. This included ready-to-use therapeutic meals and high-energy biscuits to treat malnutrition.
What have you seen people go through on the ground in North Gaza?
The level of destruction is staggering. This includes roads and most buildings. There were people on the streets, but there were no problems with rioting or looting. In fact, people waved and smiled at us. I think this is very impressive considering they went through six months of terror and war in northern Gaza.
(At the hospital) we went to the children's ward and met some mothers and some children. I met her three children who suffered from malnutrition. A 35 day old baby, a 2 1/2 year old, and a 7 year old. They all suffered from severe acute malnutrition. The mothers were very sad. The 7-year-old was unable to speak and was very thin. The 35-day-old baby weighed 1.5 kilograms (3 pounds). The 2-year-old weighed 4 kg (9 lb).
We evacuated the 7-year-old girl from the north to the south and just dropped her off at the stabilization center in Rafah. Her mother ran out of food and she had to eat animal feed, which she said made her daughter very sick.
What do you think parties to the conflict and relevant international organizations need to do to further strengthen humanitarian assistance in Gaza and ensure the safety of aid workers in Gaza?
We desperately need to open more intersections.
Anything that can be done to improve the coordination process on the ground is really important… Basically, this coordination and collision avoidance system is not working properly and there is no reason why it should not work. We use this system in other parts of the world…it should work here too, but it's just not respected at the moment, and it's not just about our safety, it's about the safety of the people we serve. It also needs to be respected to ensure people's safety.
Of course it's dangerous, but for me the delays we're facing are a huge problem. At the end of the day, our job is to deliver aid, and it's because of delays that we can't deliver aid.
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the dangers facing humanitarian workers in Gaza, but we are some of the safest and most protected people in the Strip. The wounds I saw in the hospital were horrific: bullet wounds, glass wounds, amputations, broken bones, and many other war wounds, especially those of children. It is an important reminder that when we talk about safety, we are also talking about the safety of Palestinians, including children.
