Aid through action: Jordanian convoys reach war-torn Gaza, break Israel's cruel siege on tiny Strip
-Safadi calls for 'immediate', 'effective' int'l action to stop humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, ensure unimpeded access to aid
-'Children [in Gaza] tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food'
AMMAN — Jordan has begun breaking the siege Israel is imposing on Gaza, Secretary-General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation(JHCO) Hussein Shibli said, reinforcing the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to ease the 'unprecedented' humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn Strip.
JHCO said it dispatched on Thursday its fifth humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza, in coordination with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Jordan's relief agency said the latest convoy carried 50 trucks loaded with flour, infant formula and other essential foodstuffs. The supplies are to be used in preparing hot meals and directly distributed inside Gaza by WCK teams.
The delivery brings the total number of trucks sent since the beginning of the crisis to 181, comprising 7,932 trucks, according to official figures.
'Jordan has begun to break the siege on Gaza and deliver the aid every Jordanian hope to see reaching its people,' Shibli told Al Mamlaka TV.
'All deliveries are backed by political, diplomatic and military efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah. We face obstacles, political, logistical, and security-related ,but we continue with full determination,' he added.
Shibli said the Kingdom relies on trusted partners such as WFP and WCK to ensure aid reaches those in need. He highlighted Wednesday's successful entry of a 36-truck convoy through the Zikim crossing and added: 'Persistent coordination can overcome blockades and security threats. The distribution inside Gaza is direct and controlled to ensure it reaches those who need it most.'
While Jordan's convoys push ahead, conditions on the ground in Gaza continue to deteriorate. Health officials in the enclave reported that tens of people were dying from starvation, raising the total death toll from hunger since the start of the war to 111, including at least 80 children.
International aid efforts have faced repeated delays and attacks. Humanitarian workers reported that earlier attempts to deliver aid were obstructed by sniper fire and looting near border crossings, while instability on the ground continues to complicate distribution.
In New York on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi held talks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres focused on confronting the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
The discussions also explored ways to enhance coordination between Jordan and UN agencies to expedite aid entry and ensure uninterrupted humanitarian delivery.
Safadi stressed the need for 'immediate and effective' action by the international community to stop the humanitarian catastrophe and ensure unimpeded access to aid. He reiterated Jordan's firm position that 'protecting civilians, enforcing international humanitarian law, and ensuring the continuous flow of food, water, and medicine are legal and moral imperatives.'
Jordan's top diplomat also emphasised that UNRWA's role is indispensable and irreplaceable, adding that any attempts to weaken or replace the agency would have dangerous consequences for millions of Palestinians relying on its services.
'The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is the worst in modern memory,' Safadi said. 'If the world fails to act now, history will remember this as a stain on our collective conscience.'
Gaza is suffering man-made mass starvation caused by the blockade of aid into the territory, the head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said, as more than 100 agencies called on Israel to allow entry of supplies to the enclave.
'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it's man-made, and that's very clear,' Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference from Geneva. 'This is because of [the] blockade.'
A letter signed by over 100 relief agencies, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International and Amnesty International says the Israeli government is blocking humanitarian organisations from effectively distributing life-saving aid.
'Just outside Gaza, in warehouses, and even within Gaza itself, tonnes of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them,' the agencies wrote.
'The government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.'
The statement quoted an aid worker in Gaza who said, 'Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.'
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