Humanitarian Aid Heads to Gaza After 11 Days of Bombings

Published May 23rd, 2021 - 11:42 GMT
Humanitarian aid began to arrive in Gaza on Saturday
A Palestinian woman sweeps the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City, on May 23, 2021. Gazans started piecing back their lives after a devastating conflict with Israel that killed more than 200 people and made thousands homeless in the impoverished Palestinian enclave. Mohammed ABED / AFP
Highlights
Humanitarian aid began to arrive in Gaza after ceasefire deal with Israel

Humanitarian aid began to arrive in Gaza on Saturday, the day after a cease-fire began in the 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Israel Security Cabinet agreed to the Egyptian-brokered deal on Thursday, which took effect Friday, with both sides of the conflict claiming victory.

Since the truce, Israel has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, which allowed various aid agency trucks Saturday to deliver medicine, food and fuel in to Gaza, hard hit by the conflict, BBC News reported.

Palestinian officials told the BBC the impoverished enclave -- also struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic -- will need tens of millions dollars to rebuild.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees added that it was seeking $38 million in aid to help with its focus on identifying and helping tens of thousands of displaced people.


The Israeli bombing on Al-Wahda Street on May 16 killed more than 40 Palestinians, and leveled or damaged every third building, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Across the Gaza Strip, bombings damaged thousands of buildings throughout the 11-day conflict.

"The damage inflicted in less than two weeks will take years, if not decades to rebuild," Middle East Director for the International Committee of the Red Cross Fabrizio Carboni tweeted Friday. "Root causes must be addressed."

The fighting began May 10 as Hamas began firing rockets at Israel over intention to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their East Jerusalem homes. The Israel bombing campaign in response killed more than 230 people, and at least 12 people in Israel were killed by retaliatory Hamas rocket fire.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, urging a "humanitarian pause" prior to the cease-fire, said fighting displaced some 75,000 people, including 47,000 seeking shelter in U.N. schools across Gaza and 28,700 staying with foster families.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

You may also like

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content