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The Israeli navy has invited a big contingent of media organisations, together with Sky Information, to the Nitzana border crossing within the Negev Desert.
On the border between Israel and Egypt, it’s at the moment the purpose by which all items should move earlier than they will enter Gaza.
The aim of the go to is to indicate the world that support is stepping into Gaza. And it is true that vehicles are making it in – but it surely’s stop-start and it is a very laborious course of.
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Earlier than any items are allowed to move into Gaza, they have to be safety screened by the Israelis – a course of that takes a while.
That is solely occurring on the Egypt-Israel Nitzana crossing the place we had been introduced at the moment.
The vehicles arrive from Egypt on the Israeli facet. There they’re screened, typically a number of occasions, earlier than passing again by to the Egyptian facet of the border.
They then drive as much as the Rafah crossing the place they’re checked once more earlier than passing into Gaza.
The Israelis say they’ve ‘eyes’ (in all probability drones) on the vehicles as they drive from Nitzana to Rafah.
For the reason that 7 October Hamas assaults which triggered this battle, a mean of 38 vehicles a day have crossed into Gaza by this stop-start course of.
They’re all required to move by Nitzana after which snake again round by to the Rafah crossing.
At present’s anticipated determine is 96 vehicles, which is encouraging however not practically adequate, in keeping with UN officers.
The context is vital right here. Pre-war, about 500 vehicles a day would get into Gaza.
The vehicles would move by varied routes – both straight from Egypt by their Rafah/Salah Al Din crossing (primarily a foot crossing however more and more used for items) – or from Israel into Gaza by way of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The northern Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza is for folks (underneath stringent situations) solely.
It was badly broken by Hamas throughout their 7 October assault.
There isn’t any airport in Gaza. The Yasser Arafat Worldwide Airport was destroyed by Israel in 2001.
United Nations officers inform me that the 96 vehicles set to make the journey at the moment are a fraction of what is wanted.
“It isn’t simply the variety of folks in Gaza who want humanitarian support, it is the depth of their wants,” one UN official informed me this week.
Learn extra:
Tens of 1000’s of civilians flee amid heavy preventing
Netanyahu says Israel could have ‘total safety’ function in Gaza
The Israeli navy, which manages the Nitzana crossing, has a distinct perspective on the scenario inside Gaza.
“There isn’t any humanitarian disaster inside Gaza,” Colonel Moshi Tetro, head of the Coordination and Liaison Administration to Gaza, informed me.
However a number of support businesses and the United Nations, who’re on the bottom in Gaza, have stated repeatedly that the scenario is dire.
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