Humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza through the temporary port

2024-05-23 15:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Humanitarian aid began entering Gaza through the temporary port built by the United States, according to US officials.

"Aids are coming in," US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said from the White House on Wednesday. "Not as much as we would like, because we always want more."

The Department of Defense estimated that by Wednesday evening, more than 800 tons of aid will have entered the port.

According to US Navy official Brad Cooper, the United States hopes to deliver about 500 tons of aid a day through the temporary port, or about 90 trucks a day, according to CNN.

Aid is entering Gaza at a time when, according to reports, the vast majority of residents in this territory are on the brink of starvation. Some aid officials say that in some parts of the Gaza Strip people are already suffering from starvation.

Aid was landed at the port last week and then loaded onto trucks, but crowds flocked to the convoy. One person lost his life during this incident.

Aid organizations are coordinating to find safe routes for convoys to avoid incidents.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks on Wednesday night advanced into the interior of the city of Rafah, according to the Reuters news agency.

The military operation was preceded by a heavy bombing of Rafah, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to seek shelter.

"The strikes by Israel with drones, helicopters, warplanes and tanks have not stopped all night," a resident of Rafah told Reuters. "The tanks made a limited movement in the southeast, but nevertheless they advanced through attacks throughout the night."

Israel says it has no choice but to strike areas in Gaza where it believes Hamas members are hiding, even though Palestinian civilians are there.

Nearly half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has taken refuge in Rafah recently. Since Israel began the military operation in Rafah, some 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee again.

The war between Israel and Hamas began in October, when the militant group attacked settlements in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Israel's response has left 35,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is run by Hamas. /VOA