Situation very complex

Famine in Gaza: aid is barely getting through

Significant delays at the checkpoints mean that aid supplies are not being delivered.

(Bild: AFP)

The United Nations is still struggling to prevent a famine in the Gaza Strip. Although there have been some improvements in coordination with Israel, aid deliveries to the Palestinian territory are still experiencing difficulties. There are considerable delays at checkpoints.

Last week, 41 percent of UN requests to deliver aid to the north of the Gaza Strip were rejected.

"New problem for every chance"
 "We are engaged in this dance where we take one step forward, two steps back or two steps forward and one step back. This basically keeps us at the same point," said De Domenico. "For every new opportunity we get, there's a new challenge that we have to overcome."

"It's about more thanflour"
 The problem is not just food, he said, a famine is much more complex. "It's about much more than just importing flour," emphasized De Domenico. "Water, sanitation and health are fundamental to curbing famine." Recently, the number of trucks bringing relief supplies to the Gaza Strip has steadily increased.

The UN has long complained that there are difficulties in bringing and distributing aid to the sealed-off Gaza Strip with its 2.3 million people.