October 21, 2023—About 20 Red Crescent trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered southern Gaza today. It is the first time the Rafah border crossing has opened since the terror attacks of October 7 and ensuring war. But United Nations and humanitarian officials say relief is just a drop of what aid is urgently needed in Gaza.
“This is miniscule. It’s just a drop in the ocean of what is needed for the Gaza people,” Palestine Red Crescent Director Marwan Jilani said in an interview today with the Qatari-run Al Jazeera.
Millions of Lives At Risk
Before the Israel-Hamas War, a million people in Gaza relied upon emergency food assistance from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Now a million people are homeless due to the onslaught of bombing and the order by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to evacuate. Netanyahu cut off food, water, fuel, and electricity on October 7 in response to the horrific terror attack by Hamas.
Hezbollah Strikes Against Settlers
Israel is also under attack. Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon are firing anti-tank missiles against Israeli settlements and military outposts, according to reporting by Jerusalem-based TV7 Israel News.
Biden Pulls A Bait And Switch
The Gaza enclave has a population of 2.3 million people who have been under a total blockade since October 7.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the planned access for 20 trucks as a victory. But on the same day, but his administration vetoed a UN resolution that would have provided much-needed aid and created safe humanitarian corridors.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, who is in Egypt, said the time has come for “action to end this godawful nightmare.” He called for warring parties to obey international laws under the Geneva Conventions and to immediately stop firing to allow humanitarians to save lives.
