Geneva: The aid entering the Gaza Strip is just a drop in the ocean, the World Health Organization's representative in Palestine, Rick Peeperkorn, stated on Tuesday. During his weekly press conference at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Peeperkorn emphasized the urgent need for more aid to be allowed into the enclave.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Peeperkorn highlighted the dire humanitarian situation, noting that many lives have been lost and over 34,000 individuals have been displaced again due to Israeli attacks on Gaza since May 15. He further reported that nearly half a million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since mid-March, urging that the ongoing bloodshed must stop.
Peeperkorn called on Israel, the occupying power, to open at least two border crossings into Gaza, simplify and expedite procedures, remove access barriers, and implement other necessary measures to facilitate aid delivery. He underscored the severe challenges facing Gaza's health system, exacerbated by ongoing attacks and severe shortages of medical supplies.
Since October 2023, Peeperkorn noted, the World Health Organization has recorded 697 attacks on health facilities in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the organization demands effective protection of health care services. On Tuesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that it had received approval from Israel to allow approximately 100 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip.
