![Palestinians displaced from Rafah city to Deir al-Balah due to Israeli attacks, wait in long queues to get a bowl of food distributed by charity organizations in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on May 13, 2024. [Ashraf Amra - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AA-20240513-34552353-34552344-NEW_HUNGER_CRISIS_OCCURS_IN_SOUTHERN_PARTS_OF_GAZA.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that lack of regular fuel flows and the continued Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip impede aid distribution to millions of Palestinians.
“Distribution is almost impossible with no regular fuel imports, unstable telecommunication and ongoing fighting” the UN agency said in a press briefing yesterday, warning that the disruption has a devastating impact for over two million people who have been displaced from their homes.
The Israeli army occupied the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on 7 May and stopped the flow of aid into the enclave. This exacerbated the “man-made famine” in the Strip, while Jewish settlers prevented the flow of aid coming from Jordan through the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing and travelling through the occupied West Bank.
Israel has now killed over 35,200 Palestinians and wounded more than 79,200 more. Most of the casualties are children and women. Millions are displaced in Gaza, and face famine and acute shortages of medical aid and other essentials.
Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice — which it denies — and has also laid waste to large swathes of the besieged enclave, devastating everything from housing to medical facilities, educational institutes and all sorts of other civilian infrastructure.