A Palestinian woman hangs up clothes at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip where most civilians have taken refuge, on December 13, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)
Heavy rainfall in Gaza put thousands of displaced people, often entire families, in even more miserable conditions, huddling inside flooded tents shredded by high winds and sinking into muddy ground. Health authorities are concerned about the run-off water pooling around living areas, contaminated by waste of all kinds, as sanitary systems are nearly impossible to maintain.
Palestinian boys stand in their makeshift tent at a camp set up on a schoolyard in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip where most civilians have taken refuge, on Dec. 13, 2023, as battles continue between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Almost two million people are displaced within the Gaza Strip, which has a population of around 2.4 million people, half of both figures are children.
A second entry opens
Yesterday, Kerem Shalom crossing, at the meeting points of Israeli, Gazan, and Egyptian borders, opened for the first time since the war started, allowing 80 trucks to pass through from Egypt and simplifying the process for aid delivery, Reuters reported.
Palestinian children play in their makeshift shelter at a camp set up on a schoolyard in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip where most civilians have taken refuge as the fighting inches further southward. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)
Since the truce collapsed, an average of 100 aid trucks enter the enclave a day, compared to the 500 that entered prior to Oct. 7. Not only are deliveries insufficient, but their distribution within the enclave is hindered by a lack of trucks and fuel to run them.
Israel under pressure, pushes back
The humanitarian crisis has not slowed the Israeli offensive, on the contrary, PM Benjamin Netanyahu told the world today that “in light of international pressure” Israel “will continue until the end … Nothing will stop us.”
“International pressure” is manifesting in several ways. Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of an immediate cease-fire in Gaza — with 153 for, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.
A Palestinian bread seller stands by his cart while an Israeli army vehicle drives by at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp, in Jenin, on Dec. 13, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas. (Credit: Marco Longari/AFP)
Overwhelming support for the resolution is largely symbolic but reveals a significant shift in global diplomatic attitudes towards the conflict. On Oct. 27, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution for a “sustained humanitarian truce” with 120 in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions.
In a rare joint statement, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, who voted in favor of the latest UN cease-fire resolution, said they were "alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza.”
A picture taken Dec. 13, 2023, shows a makeshift toilet at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip where most civilians have taken refuge, as battles continue between Israel and Hamas. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)
Biden says support wavers
But even more concerning for Israel, US President Joe Biden shared his sharpest criticism yet of the States’ key Middle East ally. According to the American president, he told Netanyahu that Israel had "most of the world supporting it" immediately after the Oct. 7 attack, but that now "they're starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
Speaking to supporters during a fundraising event for his re-election, Biden shared some unusual insight, saying "this is the most conservative government in Israel's history," and that Netanyahu must "change," adding that "this government in Israel is making it very difficult."