UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned during an interview with BBC on Tuesday, May 20, that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours if the trucks carrying aid do not reach the affected communities in time.
Fletcher sounded the alarm about the imminent risk to the lives of babies in the deliberately starved enclave, one day after Israel allowed nine aid trucks into the Gaza strip.
Although the resumed entry of aid was welcomed by Fletcher, he described it as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.” The UN official stressed that “significantly more aid must be allowed into Gaza” starting Tuesday morning.
At least 500 trucks should enter Gaza each day to meet the basic needs of its population, which is estimated at 2.1 million, according to the UN.
Netanyahu allows minimal aid into Gaza amid mounting international pressure
International pressure on the Netanyahu administration has been mounting in recent days – even from Israel’s allies – to stop the expansion of the military operation and the aid blockade in Gaza.
On Monday, May 19, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a joint statement threatening to take “concrete” and “targeted” actions against Israel over its escalation in the Gaza strip and the occupied West Bank.
Less than 24 hours after the statement was released, the UK suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador in London, and imposed sanctions on settlers in the West Bank.
On the same day, the Spanish parliament passed a non-binding motion urging the government to prohibit the sale of weapons to countries implicated in genocide, including Israel.
The move followed a call by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to exclude Israel from international cultural events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, due to its continued aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted Monday via his Telegram channel that he would allow limited food into the besieged strip for “practical and diplomatic reasons.”
“We must not let the population [of Gaza] sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel’s “best friends in the world”, including senators known as enthusiastic supporters of his country told him that they cannot “endure pictures of mass famine in Gaza.”
The UN humanitarian affairs office announced on Tuesday that Israel approved the entry of around 100 aid trucks into Gaza. Although 93 trucks arrived at the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing shortly after the organization received the approval, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained that the concerned teams could not distribute the aid due to logistical hurdles imposed by the Israeli authorities.
