no food no water no fuel and nowhere to go as Israel's bombing of Gaza intensifies Palestinians are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe what will it take for life saving Aid to reach the besiege enclave and can a disaster be prevented this is Inside Story [Music] hello and welcome to the program I'm fully batibo Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions Israel's total Siege of The Enclave has cut off supplies of food water and fuel for more than a week borders are closed so Aid isn't getting in and people aren't getting out all this says Israel's bombing campaign kills and injures thousands of Palestinians many of them children we'll go to our panel in just a moment but first Finton Monahan has this report Palestinians in Gaza are desperate for the most basic necessities of life Israel has cut off supplies of food water fuel and electricity to the already besieged Enclave its Relentless bombing campaign has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and put further strain on already limited resources seven homeless families in my house I've been here since 7:00 a. m. is this enough for seven families with their children my house has had no water for 5 days yesterday all we got was salt water Israel has told 1.
1 million people in north of Gaza to leave ahead of intense military action families are gathering everything they can carry and heading south but all that awaits them is a closed border Israeli bombing has forced the closure of the Rafa Crossing with Egypt and there are concerns about a potential influx of refugees Aid trucks are lined up on the Egyptian side of the Border unable to enter the United Nations is trying to convince all parties to allow the aid through we need to get Aid to those people for two reasons number one to make their movement safe to where they want to go voluntarily and two to sustain them while they're there because they won't get out of Gaza and then need to be helped in Gaza so Aid access is our overwhelming priority and we are in deep discussions hourly with the Israelis with the Egyptians with the gazans about how to do that the humanitarian crisis is growing worse by the day in addition to the rising number of Palestinians killed the Israeli bombardment has injured thousands we have no resources no equipment to help those trapped under the rubble no medical facilities to treat the injured we are digging with our bare hands this is a disaster as food and water run short more and more people will fall ill and when the last of the fuel Runs Out hospitals will struggle to keep them alive Finton Monahan for Inside Story let's bring in our guests now in Gaza is njla shawa oxfarm spokesperson and a Gaza a resident her family is one of the hundreds of thousands displaced right now because of the Israeli bombardment in Oxford in the UK is DrNick mayard a consultant surgeon who visits Gaza regularly to train medical students and doctors and he's also a member of the UK based charity Medical Aid for Palestine and in Cairo Egypt is Sarah Kira founder and director of the European North African Center for research a warm welcome to you all thank you for joining us on Inside Story NJ shawa in Gaza please let me start with you it's been more than 10 days now since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza began and it's feared that the situation the humanitarian situation could get much worse can you just tell us first about what the current situation is inside Gaza and um how much longer can people hold on for without any AIDS coming into the besieged territory the situation is um is very devastating as it is the severity and the extent of uh of attacks and air strikes on homes and infrastructure that has been been continuous the past days have uh have not given any opportunity for any um for anything that can be restored or or even for families to connect to communicate to to even move their own belongings uh families have been for example moving to our home in Gaza City prior to this uh move to the South that we all did all together we were already uh 20 22 or more in our house and we moved all together to to this place and the situation is is uh is extremely dire uh because uh there is no access to fuel there is no there is damaged and destroyed infrastructure uh waste water treatment plants there is no access to water uh and there is very limited capacity to to physically move even within the cities and within the towns right let me just ask you something briefly yeah nla nla you talked about water there the Israelis have said uh that they've restored water to some parts of Gaza which Hamas has denied can you tell us uh about some of the basic necessities that you have right now you and your family is there any water at all is there any any food are you able to get uh bread for example or is that running out completely now yeah the situation where I am in central Gaza is less problematic than the the South where there is more um um numbers of uh of people displaced the the more heavily populated areas like in hunas and in Rafa but mind you the air strikes have not stopped have not stopped in kanun or in ra or in central area or on the road that they claim to be a safe passage during the evacuation after the the instructions that the Israelis have put out so and also regarding the claim of the of the water I don't have official information on on whether it's actually it's back or not but because the problem is much comp much more complicated than this you have water networks that have been destroyed an entire infrastructure that has been destroyed that is mainly affecting this distribution of water so even if it is a connected which I'm I'm not sure about and I cannot confirm it has also limited um a path so not the entire South would get it it gets to a certain area and then it has to be like reservoirs and then has to be redistributed and this capacity is no longer there with no fuel for generators no uh and no no proper Network so it's it's something for the media I suspect that's my my personal opinion and when it comes to other issues like this area of of mine the problem is that we're not connected to public network we rely on water weth and because we rely on water wells water wells have been so depleted and so bad in terms of quality we cannot use it for drinking and even if we have the capacity which is now every day we are trying to resolve the problem for the people here is to get fuel because we had some fuel from before we are still managing however we have only drinking water and until tomorrow and we are about 60 people here and we don't know if tomorrow we will be able to find the the the the water vendor uh in in the area available to bring us water this is all very uncertain and very very critical we also depend on on uh fuel to pump water for cleaning and uh and washing so it's it's just complicated you describe a very dire situation there in N briefly on food and then I'll I'll uh bring in DrMay to talk to us the situation in the hospitals in Gaza right the food situation I think there was a statement that was issued today uh from the world food program which is quite alarming because the situation is already very Bleak you have to be aware of that before October 7th uh this program has been suffering from a lack of funding to support very poor population now it's saying that food will actually supplies will run out within four days so the stocks that's available in the this trip will will be uh will be um uh depleted uh will not be no longer be available in the coming four days and this is very very critical and the problem there is no window no hope uh for any um for any humanitarian Corridor for any ceasefire or anything like that and without such it's impossible uh just but to see suffering uh more and more evident what else is the world waiting for for more crisis he not even reaching the news because of also no communication we will discuss the the question of humanitarian cordos in just a moment njla but I want to bring in Drmayard in Oxford Drmayard as njla said there the situation was Bleak even before this latest conflict began there were already shortages of medical supplies in hospitals medical equipment what are you hearing about the current situation in hospitals across Gaza whether it's in the North or in the South where some hospitals have been asking to relocate to move patients to the South which has been extremely difficult of course what are you hearing about the conditions in these hospitals uh that the situation is absolutely desperate and there is a very clear view and I that I share that the Health Care system in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse if um Aid is not allowed in I hear that up to four hospitals in Gaza are unable to function at all as hospitals because the infrastructure has been so badly damaged um I've had most reports from chifa hospital uh which is where the hospital I've spent most of my time in um over the years and they are essentially hanging on but with extremely limited resources they're very worried about the amount of water they have and they're rationing that now uh they are very frightened that the fuel that is serving their generators is about to run out and and if that runs out out uh then they will no longer be able to keep people alive on ventilators so the minute that fuel runs out all ventilated patients will likely die it'll be extremely difficult to run an operating theater without electricity from the generators so they're in a state of of of appalling desperation and near collapse of the Whole Health Care system and Drmayard when you're talking about access to clean water the lack of access to clean water you're talking about also here the possibility of a of an even wider and an even larger Health crisis aren't you most certainly I mean the the washing facilities are are very very few and far between dirty water is a big concern and the the situations are absolutely right for outbreaks of of communal infectious diseases and that's a very very real risk of of sweeping through the Garen population Sarah let me bring you into the conversation Sarah um immediate unconditional access to life-saving Aid in Gaza is what the United Nations is calling for today and a number of agencies including who UNICEF wfp and unra say they're all ready to bring Aid in to Gaza through the Rafa Crossing with Egypt but also through the Israel border with Gaza why is that not happening why why is Aid not going into Gaza is it being politicized well uh thank you for having me first and it's very important to explain the history behind that everything that the doctor in the UK mentioned and njla in Gaza mentioned this has been the situation for Gaza for the past 18 years it's very important to point out that this is not the state that Gaza has been living under for just the past week or the past 10 days it is the situation that the Gaza people the Gaza population the place the Gaza Strip that is the most populated place in the world okay this is the dire situation that everyone has been facing in Gaza for the past 18 years because Gaza has been under siege and block it for the past 18 years and it's very important to point out that Israel has the control control over six six crossing gates or Crossing Borders uh Gates like the Rafa one but but the Rafa one is shared between the Egyptian Authority and uh um uh Israel okay so they have the authority over six Crossing Borders out of seven and they are still not letting the aid in it's very important to point out that the Gaza people are under Collective punishment okay Collective punishment and and and and this is not an easy situation to live under uh like the doctor mentioned the status of the hospitals according according to humanitarian reports out of only one person one individual has a bed in a hospital for everyone to understand where we're talking about out of 1,000 people this is the situation that Gaza has been living under reports are everywhere humanitarian reports can checked indeed Sarah let me just pick up on something you've said and that is that Israel controls six border crossings into GA Gaza and they're refusing to let Aid in Egypt as you said controls the Rafa Crossing uh the Rafa Crossing in southern Gaza now there's been talk in the last few days of opening that Crossing uh Rafa Crossing to let Aid in through Egypt and also allow people dual Nationals to get out out of the Gaza Strip right why has that not happened what conditions is Egypt uh putting on to allow that Rafa Crossing to open or is it the Israelis who's putting the pressure on uh a Rafa right now is it Egypt or is it the Israelis okay I'll explain to you uh this is the only Crossing border that uh uh that is shared Authority between Israel and Egypt from our part from the Egyptian border it's open and we have hundreds and tons of uh uh resources to let into our brothers and sisters inside of Gaza but the whole stalling comes from Israel part The Crossing border from our part is open and with all the convoys with tons of things waiting on the border and Israel doesn't let it in we needed we needed something to guarantee that Israel would let the humanitarian into Gaza so we said we're not letting any other uh uh uh nationalities rather than the Palestinians get outside of that border and we have foreigners other uh uh nationality holders Americans French and everyone waiting on the border to be evacuated from the RAF Crossing border with Israel bombing the Rafa border from their side so they don't even respect the other nationality who are not Palestinians who are waiting to be evacuating and that's an Egyptian Condition it's very important to point out that's an Egyptian condition just to pressure and force Israel to let the humanitarian Aid in and they didn't abide to that deal we needed a deal settlement just a fast deal to let the humanitarian convoys get into Gaza and they didn't let that first they H H put a condition to inspect the convoys and there are tons of convoys so Egypt said we are responsible for that and we are responsible for letting the humanitarian Aid inside Gaza and it's under our supervision with us uh uh of course supervision as well and they don't want to let the humanitarian Aid in Sarah let me bring na njla on this njla what are you what is your understanding as to what's happening at the RAF of Crossing with Egypt of course the aid could come in through uh the border with Israel as well six Crossings there but there's been a lot of Focus right now on Rafa there are lots of a convoys waiting outside of Rafa to cross into Gaza with Aid much needed Aid what is your understanding as to what's happening at that border crossing and the conditions in which this Aid would be allowed into Gaza you know honestly it's not very clear uh I mean it it's very vague even from trying to read from from the media so I don't have I don't I I can't claim I have any more information except that how we read it in in in in Gaza is that there's a concern also by the Egyptians that uh that this would be an um an evacuation that would lead to actually a transfer uh kind of of Palestinians to a refugee kind of state at the border and um and you know of course Palestinians don't want that uh the Egyptians uh don't want that and if um if Israel is is is pushing towards that or whatever um um some other world leaders are involved in such discussions or such plan this is how it's kind of brought up in in in the back of our minds as Palestinians living here is the minute I left my home from Gaza City to Central Gaza I had this fear immediately is this another in 1948 are we going to come back so that's one thing but on on on the other side of uh it's it's not clear if um if um if there is any uh sincere how can I say I mean Israel would not really um care much I mean it's for them it's it's their operation and their their you know their business that matters it doesn't matter uh it's just the amount of pressure that they are put on H put under to allow it and it seems it's not enough so this will will will have to will have to be seen in the coming days if the us will have more more more of that pressure is it only to evacuate their citizens or other nationality it's really a chaos uh a friend went to to the Border yesterday because the minute they were saying that they have a window that they can go all uh and and actually cross nobody crossed nothing there was another Attack On the Border it's a total mess and a friend on the other side tells me yeah I mean the the cars the aid trucks are standing there yeah as people congregate congrate towards a southern border with with Gaza there there are of course uh some cascading effects uh that are being created there nla I wanted to ask you one more uh question um about the aid before I bring back Drmayard uh to talk about what the most immediate needs are right now njla I just wanted to ask you about something Israel has said and and most specifically the former prime minister y lapid who said that Hamas is trying to prevent aid from coming into Gaza accusing Hamas of taking some of the aid some of the goods that were left in the shelters that the UN had to evacuate from did you see any evidence of this njla um any evidence that Hamas is preventing aid from coming in as Israel say um I haven't seen anything and for sure I cannot comment on anything like that but I I mean personally I haven't heard and that's the first time I hear about such a thing um I think it doesn't make any sense honestly uh because anyway everyone knows that the the amount of Aid that has been for example stockpiled at uh at some un agencies um stocks is hardly enough for short duration um so I I really don't think um I wouldn't imagine from where would this be coming from under all this heavy bombardment and as we see how there is nothing that moves into Gaza I I would doubt it very much but again I don't have the full information let me bring in Drmayard uh now Drmayard there are children still being born in Gaza today there's no water still little food and the situation is becoming worse what are the most urgent needs right now what would you see those eight would you would you like to see those eight convoys carrying into Gaza once they're allowed in yes I mean I I think that the I think it's rather fanciful to think that opening up one border at Rafa is going to get enough Aid in to service the whole of Gaza um most of the roads from the hospitals have been destroyed certainly at shifa all the access roads have been bombed and are impossible so the notion that that large numbers of patients and and civilians can be evacuated through one opening down at Rafer I think is is frankly fanciful um so I I think there needs to be a a lift of The Siege completely and the many more border crossings that can be opened from Israel need to be open to allow Aid to come in that way speaking from the UK perspective I know Medical Aid for Palestine has got many healthc care workers who are poised to come and go in and help and I'm sure other countries will be the same so the minute the minute Aid is allowed in and it needs to be allowed in from all the borders right that that really happen needs to happen in the in the next day or two and even if the aid is allowed in Drmayard it's not going to be a light switch is it I mean even if Aid gets in it doesn't mean that a humanitarian crisis is averted most certainly not uh because I think it's gone too far down that road now to to to avert it and the the the the grave risk of of widespread infectious diseases will remain uh there are many people who are injured uh and may not be saved anyway so it won't be an immediate turnaround but I think once once there is no fuel for the generators once there is no water once there is no there are no blood products which are running out then there will be a total collapse of the Health Care System Sarah what about creating safe corridors what's the potential for that to happen in the near future okay I would like just to commend that today a un uh uh Security Council resolution has been blocked as a an initiative uh to result in a resolution of course to stop the fire in Gaza and that has been blocked the unra and The Who and the UNICEF are doing great job but it's it's it's very contradicting how the politics behind this conflict is blocking those un agencies from carrying out their own missions it's very important to uh uh point out that Israel has to respect human rights and let the humanitarian corridors uh uh work out for all Palestinians and stopping fire is a must first and hopefully in the future no un Security Council resolutions in that uh matter would be blocked yeah the politics are really important in all this the us we know has appointed what they're saying is a special Envoy for Middle Eastern humanitarian issues President Biden is heading to the region in the next few days do you think Biden Sarah can push things over the line when he visits uh Wednesday on the humanitarian question this is why Egypt Egypt wanted the US uh uh supervision over that uh fast deal to let the humanitarian Aid in and that's why president AB the fat C called for an international Summit on the Palestinian cuse next Saturday 21st of October and it's very important in this arming to stop and end this war if President Biden wants to impress uh uh inside the US and out he would help in resolving this conflict njla I'll give you the last word in Gaza I know you're talking to us under very difficult circum circumstances very difficult conditions what would you like to see happen in the immediate what would what is is your message to the International Community today uh my message to the International Community is uh is actually a question until when I mean what should happen to stop this to make this madness stop um because once we are focusing on the humanitarian crisis we're also forgetting that Israel is killing every day tens of Palestinians and also destroying more and more of the infrast ruction of our neighborhoods uh in in in Gaza and uh it's simply nobody's able to stop stop that and uh I think the world should uh should stop this double standard uh and remember that we are equally human Palestinians and uh and the rest of the world the other thing is that there must be an immediate immediate uh humanitarian C fire at least to try and and and minimize the the hardship in the shelters where there are thousands of people suffering every minute and I'm I'm I'm only experiencing a sample of that and it's it's very very difficult njla thank you so much njla thank you for talking to us njla shaad DrNick mayard and Sarah Kira thank you to all three of you for joining us on inside story today and thank you too for watching you can always watch this program again anytime by visiting our website at al. com for further discussion go to our Facebook page that's facebook.
