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South of the Gaza Strip – In a rare moment of access to the war-torn Palestinian territory, CBS News visited a critical aid distribution center inside the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, near the Karem Shalom border crossing from Israel . The humanitarian crisis in Gaza after more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas it remains to say.
Israeli officials say about 200 trucks cross from Israel into Gaza each day through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint on average, carrying desperate supplies for Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict.
But an urgent question remains: is the aid reaching those who need it most?
At the distribution center, truck drivers and aid workers told CBS News of the struggles they face, including the looting of humanitarian goods, which they said remains a major problem in Gaza. Chaos and lawlessness in the region often prevent supplies from reaching their intended recipients.
“The aid is not coming because the gangs are intercepting it on the road,” said Mohammed Shehibar, a Palestinian logistics coordinator in Al-Rimal, a neighborhood in Gaza City, who spoke to us as he supervised workers loading forklift trucks full of fresh produce. fruit
He said that of the 100 trucks that left that site, “only 70 or 60 made it to their destinations.” The rest, he said, were looted.
“The only guarantee to receive the aid safely is that there would (be) some stability in Gaza,” he said. “They (the gangs) occupy positions near the border … near the (Israeli) army … and they do not face any problems.”
international aid agencies they have also complained that it is not enough help is entering the Gaza Strip.
Last Sunday on CBS News’ “Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Cindy McCainthe head of the World Food Program, said that her organization had only been able to send two aid trucks through during the month of November.
“This is not true,” said Colonel Abdullah Halabi, head of Israel’s Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza. “The humanitarian community in the last two weeks alone, with our development of facilities around Gaza, as in other steps, managed to move an average of 200 trucks into central and southern Gaza.”
Israeli officials insist that large amounts of aid are flowing into Gaza. They stress the difficulties of delivering supplies in an active war zone and call for greater assistance from the international community to ensure safe passage and effective distribution within the zone. decimated enclave.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza after the brutal attack by Hamas October 7, 2023which killed about 1,200 people. More than 100 hostages captured by Hamas are still in detention. From the beginning of the war in Gaza, at least 44,580 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and most of its residents have been internally displaced.
The danger was palpable during our visit, with the sound of shelling echoing nearby. Aid truck drivers risk their lives to navigate the dangerous conditions created by broken infrastructure and security threats inside Gaza, highlighting the immense challenges facing both aid agencies and the civilians of Gaza.
However, there has been cautious hope recently as reports suggest ongoing negotiations for a hostage release deal could lead to a temporary ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
If this deal materializes, distribution centers like the one on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing will soon be overwhelmed with additional supplies, offering a lifeline to those in desperate need.
