Trucks Are ‘Loaded & Ready To Go’ Into Gaza: WHO Chief

AFP/APP

Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories: The pace of death, of suffering, of destruction… cannot be exaggerated, stated UN Humanitarian Official Martin Griffiths about the war-torn Gaza Strip.

The Gaza war has set off a wave of fury across the Middle East against Israel and its Western allies. According to the Health Ministry, the conflict has claimed at least 3,500 lives in Gaza –home to 2.4 million people.

Entire city blocks have been levelled, water, food, and power have been cut off, and over one million people have been displaced. There are fears of worse to come if Israel launches its anticipated ground invasion.

Meanwhile, Palestinians desperately awaited the arrival of aid trucks promised under a deal US President Joe Biden struck with Egypt and Israel as the army struck more Hamas targets Thursday.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “Our trucks are loaded and ready to go.” He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing opened, “hopefully tomorrow”.

More than 100 trucks carrying aid goods have been queued for days on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the only entry or exit point to Gaza not controlled by Israel.

Cairo has so far kept it closed, pointing to repeated Israeli strikes near the crossing and voicing fears that Israel may be hoping to permanently drive Palestinians out and into Egypt’s Sinai desert.

On a flying visit to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet on Wednesday, Biden reiterated strong US support for the long-time ally but also stressed the need to address the plight of Palestinian civilians.

Biden said he has agreed to a deal for an initial 20 trucks carrying relief goods to cross the shuttered Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza, with the first deliveries expected Friday at the earliest.

Amid the flaring crisis, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was headed to Egypt on Thursday, where President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is also due to host Jordan King Abdullah II.

Jordan said the two leaders would discuss ways “to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza”, a day after Amman snubbed Biden by cancelling a four-way summit with Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.