GAZA, (PIC)
Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO), said Israeli authorities are deliberately restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, using delays and crossing closures as part of a systematic strategy to continue the genocide against Palestinians in the enclave.
In an interview with Palestine newspaper published on Wednesday, Thawabta said Israel is using humanitarian aid as a tool of pressure and collective punishment against civilians, stressing that the restrictions are not merely security or logistical measures, but a political and military decision aimed at deepening the humanitarian crisis and entrenching the blockade on more than two million Palestinians.
Figures show scale of shortfall
According to GMO figures, Israel committed around 3,076 ceasefire violations over 232 days, killing 939 Palestinians, wounding 2,889 others and detaining 82.
Thawabta said the volume of aid allowed into Gaza falls far short of both the growing humanitarian needs and the terms of previous agreements.
He said the deal required the entry of 139,200 aid and commercial trucks, but Israel allowed in only 50,636.
That means Israel implemented only 36% of the agreement, leaving a 64% shortfall and depriving Gaza’s population of more than two-thirds of its basic needs, including food, medicine and essential supplies. Thawabta described the policy as “deliberate starvation” targeting civilians.
He said the impact has been catastrophic, paralyzing commercial movement, driving up the prices of basic goods and further weakening people’s purchasing power amid Gaza’s severe economic and humanitarian collapse.
Patients denied travel
Thawabta said the crisis has also hit Gaza’s health sector and the movement of patients and the wounded.
Only 5,836 people were allowed to leave Gaza, out of 17,800 who were supposed to be permitted to travel under the agreements.
He said compliance in this file stood at only 32%, leaving a 68% gap and denying thousands of patients and wounded people the chance to receive treatment outside Gaza, as the enclave suffers severe shortages of medical supplies, equipment and medicine.
Fuel and electricity crisis
Regarding the fuel crisis, Thawabta said Israel’s continual refusal to allow sufficient diesel and spare parts for generators into Gaza is directly targeting infrastructure and essential services.
He warned that many generators powering hospitals, water pumping stations and sewage treatment facilities have already stopped working, threatening to worsen health and environmental crises and accelerate the collapse of what remains of Gaza’s health and municipal systems.
Gaza nearing famine
Thawabta warned that Gaza is rapidly approaching full-scale famine, with signs already visible in several governorates because of severe food shortages and continued restrictions on aid entry.
He said the 64% shortfall in trucks and essential supplies has pushed around 2.4 million Palestinians toward hunger and thirst, holding the international community responsible for allowing the crisis to continue.
He also pointed to the cooking gas crisis, saying Israel continues to block the quantities needed by families, bakeries and hospitals.
Many households have been forced to use firewood and cardboard for cooking, increasing respiratory illnesses and environmental damage.
Urgent appeal
Thawabta called on mediators, particularly Egypt and Qatar, as well as the wider international community, to move beyond statements of concern and apply real pressure on Israel to comply with the ceasefire terms and permanently open Gaza’s crossings.
He urged an end to all Israeli violations, the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid, the travel of wounded and sick Palestinians, and the entry of fuel, gas and spare parts needed for vital facilities.
He warned that if the current situation continues, Gaza faces a comprehensive humanitarian collapse.