A Palestinian collecting a humanitarian package in Gaza, December 20, 2018. (Illustration) – SAID KHATIB / AFP
The UN welcomed, on Tuesday, the opening by the Israeli authorities of the Kerem Shalom crossing so that humanitarian aid can enter the Gaza Strip.
“We welcome the opening by the Israeli authorities of the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing for essential humanitarian aid after nine days of crisis,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations. ‘UN (Ocha) during the regular UN briefing in Geneva. “It is essential that the Erez crossing is also open to the entry and exit of humanitarian personnel,” he added.
More than 200 dead
Humanitarian aid needs are urgent in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade for nearly 15 years. Airstrikes have killed more than 200 Palestinians since May 10 in the Palestinian enclave.
“Humanitarian access to and from Gaza for personnel and goods must be sustainable and appropriate measures must be taken to continue movements inside Gaza,” the spokesperson continued.
A humanitarian disaster, according to the UN
Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on May 10 in response to rocket fire by the Islamist movement Hamas from the enclave. The rocket attacks came on the fourth day of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem, illegally occupied and annexed by Israel under international law, against a backdrop of the threat of expulsion of Palestinian families for the benefit of Jewish settlers.
Israeli strikes in Gaza killed 212 Palestinians including 61 children and rockets fired by Palestinians killed 10 people in Israel including a child, according to officials on both sides. The conflict risks causing a humanitarian disaster and the UN estimates that some 47,000 Palestinians have been displaced as more than 130 residential and commercial buildings in the enclave have been destroyed.