NEW YORK – Over and above the difficulty of actually getting into Gaza, aid teams now face the crushing realisation that with a shortage of fuel and dwindling supplies, there is a limit to what they can do to help all those in need, UN aid worker Louise Wateridge told UN News.
Deeper into Gaza, Ms. Wateridge described the damage inflicted on UN facilities en route from Kerem Shalom to Khan Younis, Deir al Balah and beyond, with some pockmarked with large holes from shelling and others gutted, open to the elements.
“Every single UNWRA facility – school, warehouse, food distribution etc – was significantly damaged or even destroyed. Bullet holes, walls blown out, floors collapsed like pancakes on top of each other – you would have no idea that these were UN facilities protected by international law.”
According to the UN aid coordination office, (OCHA), since the beginning of 2024, only 14 per cent of fuel (diesel and benzene) that used to enter Gaza on a monthly basis prior to October 2023, has been allowed into the enclave (two million litres compared with 14 million litres).
“We have no fuel so we cannot go anywhere – all humanitarians,” said Ms. Wateridge, confirming that aid operations continue to be hampered by the difficulty of retrieving fuel from Kerem Shalom. “For UNRWA, there are plans to distribute what we have – food and mattresses – but it’s very limited. It’s another testament to how bad it is for humanitarian response, when we do not even have enough fuel to move ourselves.”
In addition to these challenges, UNRWA workers face their own problems, Ms. Wateridge explained. “I’m looking forward to seeing them; they’re okay, but they’re very traumatised from being displaced from Rafah. They also have nothing left now.”
