October 20, 2023—UN Secretary-General António Guterres is in Egypt, and he wants humanitarian aid to start flowing to people in Gaza. As of today, the Rafah border crossing is still closed.
“We are witnessing a paradox,” Guterres said, emphasizing the dire need for food, fuel, medicine, and water. “We are not looking for one convoy to come. We are looking for convoys to be authorized in meaningful numbers of trucks to go every day to provide enough support for the Gaza people.”
The urgent call for opening up the border crossing comes two days after President Biden said he’s negotiated a deal to allow 20 trucks into Gaza. The Biden administration, however, also vetoed a broader arrangement to allow more sustained humanitarian relief in Gaza. Twelve members of the UN Security Council supported that plan.
Guterres underlined that rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access is needed for Gaza now, where 2.3 million people live. Trucks filled with aid are lined up outside the border crossing. The European Commission said it is donating 54 tonnes of aid to Gaza. But it cannot get through.
Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported today that rescue teams from the Palestinian Civil Defense and other aid groups are “struggling to carry out their mission amid continuous airstrikes, severe shortages of fuel to run vehicles and equipment, and with limited or no connection to mobile networks.”
The UN agency reported the following latest developments: hospitals are on the brink, Gaza is without electricity for 10 days, and 30 percent of housing units in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged. In the West Bank, 14 more Palestinians have been killed.
