Gaza needs more than just food: Israel maintains blockade on fuel and hygiene products

The new food distribution initiative in Gaza does not imply the end of the Israeli blockade. Since May 27, a project sponsored by the United States and Israel claims to have delivered more than five million meals to the Strip. But this system, promoted by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), does not address many of the emergencies that have plagued the enclave for months. This organization, at whose distribution points more than 100 people have been shot dead in the last eight days, does not include the provision of fuel to ensure the operation of hospitals or medical supplies to stem the spread of infections. “Frankly, without fuel it is impossible to operate,” lament hospital directors consulted by this newspaper.

On March 2, Israeli authorities unexpectedly announced that they were reinstating a complete blockade of Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government made the decision amid a truce that had been progressing since January without incidents, allowing for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The maneuver cut off access to food, water, and hygiene products that humanitarian experts consider fundamental for survival and well-being, as well as fuel, which is essential for the functioning of hospitals and ambulances. The Israeli army confirmed its return to war two weeks later, resuming bombing and killing more than 400 Palestinians in a single day.

Disturbed by the impending famine caused by its ally, the White House called on Israel to reopen humanitarian flows 80 days after the siege began. On May 18, Netanyahu announced the partial lifting of the blockade on aid, starting the following day.

The humanitarian sector estimates that Gazan society requires a minimum of 500 trucks of supplies per day. Since Israel announced the resumption of humanitarian activity, at least 8,000 trucks should have entered the Strip in accordance with this requirement. UN spokespersons, however, have indicated that only a few hundred have done so.

The GHF in the spotlight

Amid international pressure, Israeli and U.S. authorities established the GHF. This unknown and unproven initiative operates outside the UN-led system, which has accumulated decades of experience on the ground. The passing of time has revealed the Israeli strategy, which shuts off access to trucks mobilized by the UN — whose vehicles enter in symbolic numbers — while consolidating its own food distribution as the only available option.

This opaque foundation, which began operations inside the enclave on May 27, claimed on Monday that it had distributed 5.8 million meals during its first week of operation. The announcement is based on its own terms and calculations, which do not reflect the limited food items included in the boxes they distribute, and which recipients must prepare with cooking equipment that is difficult to access in the Strip. Their donations do not include baby food, vegetables, fruit, meat, or milk.

The GHF also doesn’t discuss fuel, hygiene products, or any other items essential to the functioning of a society because it doesn’t distribute them. The initiative’s decision comes on the heels of the total blockade that Israel has imposed on almost all products in the enclave for the past three months.

This week, Gazan authorities warned that fuel reserves within the enclave, stored in the southern Rafah area, are close to running out, threatening hospitals. Medical associations say they have made multiple appeals to reverse the situation, but have received no response from the Israeli side.

Health emergency

“The World Health Organization orders us to use fuel economically,” says Dr. Bassam Zakut, director of the Medical Aid Society in Gaza City. “Frankly, without fuel, we can’t do anything.” Zakut laments that his ambulances “can’t move” and that the generators that power the hospitals can’t function. “This means we’re not using the intensive care units, the operating rooms, or the dialysis machines.”

“Most of the solar systems” that the hospitals had as an alternative, the doctor explains, “have been destroyed.” To preserve fuel, he adds, they limit themselves to performing “simple checkups” on patients. The director asserts that the Israeli blockade affects every aspect of his personal and professional life. “We don’t even have spare tires for the vehicles.” Zakut asserts that Israel and the U.S. are promoting the GHF to feign interest in Gazan civil society “while the weapons that make possible the continuation of the offensive that kills people daily, which is our main problem, continue to flow.”

Another cause for concern in the enclave that the GHF has not addressed is the shortage of water, which is generally stored and distributed by NGOs. The UN estimates that 90% of the Gazan population suffers from a lack of access to adequate treated water. Faced with this, families are forced to make “impossible decisions,” choosing between drinking, cooking, or washing, the organization warns in a statement.

A source working for a humanitarian organization operating in the Strip notes that, in emergency situations, each person should receive 15 liters of water per day for all these requirements. Currently, the group claims, “those who receive water in Gaza receive an average of five liters.” The continued Israeli siege, which has prevented the entry of soap, toilet paper, and other personal hygiene items into the Strip for the past three months, is leading to “the appearance of skin or head infections,” according to the same source.

The lack of menstrual kits forces Gazans to use old clothes, torn fabrics, or sponges. According to the UN, more than 700,000 women and girls suffer from a “silent menstrual emergency” that affects their health and dignity. “Menstrual management is not a secondary need in humanitarian crises,” say Gazan health officials quoted in a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “Girls describe menstruation as a source of shame, panic, and isolation. A time of distress, particularly in areas with displaced populations, where privacy is nonexistent.”

The Israeli offensive, which has designated 80% of the Strip as a combat or evacuation zone, is squeezing more than two million Gazans into an ever-shrinking space. The shelters where the population gathers in an attempt to avoid being hit by Israeli strikes are increasingly overcrowded. There, according to the same OCHA report, women lack access to safe toilets.

“I’ve forgotten that I’m a woman,” laments a 37-year-old Gazan in a report published at the end of May by UNFPA, the UN agency responsible for sexual and reproductive health. “I can’t remember the last time I took care of myself or had a comfortable shower. My body no longer belongs to me.”

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