JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel reopened its border crossings with Gaza to basic supplies on Wednesday but UN officials complained that the repeated closures of recent weeks were forcing the territory's population to live from hand to mouth.
"We have had approximately 40 trucks that went through the Kerem Shalom crossing today," said Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner.
He said half of them were organised by UN agencies and the rest carried basic food products for the private sector. A further 20 trucks were expected to pass through later in the day.
"Through the Nahal Oz fuel depot they are sending in fuel for the power station and also cooking gas," Lerner added.
Gaza's sole power plant provides between 25 and 30 percent of the territory's electricity and repeated shutdowns have led to blackouts since Israel tightened its blockade of the territory after an eruption of violence on November 4.
On Tuesday, the assistant director of Gaza's energy authority, Kanaan Obeid, announced that the plant would not be able to resume power generation even if fuel supplies resumed as the repeated shutdowns had damaged parts of the production units that could not be replaced because of the Israeli blockade.
Israel "refuses to allow in the necessary parts and the plant cannot restart without them," Obeid said.
The UN Relief and Works Agency, which distributes food rations to half of the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million population, sent in 12 truckloads of supplies to the territory on Wednesday.
Deputy commissioner general Filippo Grandi complained it was not enough.
"Since the 4th, we only had 16 trucks that entered Gaza and we need 15 trucks a day for the basics," Grandi said, speaking before the additional trucks were allowed through.
"170 trucks are waiting for clearance outside. This is a hand-to-mouth situation. It is like working to serve a population of one million refugees with hands tied in the back."
His comments were echoed by UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories Maxwell Gaylard.
"This is an assault on human dignity with severe humanitarian implications," Gaylard said.
"Many people, especially in the Gaza Strip, are paying a heavy price, struggling daily to have enough food and water to feed and wash their children."
The two men were speaking as UN and other humanitarian agencies launched an appeal for 462 million dollars to fund a host of aid programmes next year in response to what they called the deteriorating situation in the territories.
Gaylard said that poverty and unemployment had reached record levels in Gaza and for the first time more than 50 percent of the territory's families were living below the poverty line.
But speaking in Washington on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted that there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and that Israel had nothing to be ashamed of.
"The situation in Gaza is much better than presented outside," the outgoing premier said.
"We haven't done anything in Gaza that we should be ashamed of. If anything, Hamas should be ashamed. There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
Israel had been expected to ease its blockade of Gaza after a truce with the Islamist Hamas movement which controls the territory went into force on June 19.
Israel says persistent rocket and mortar fire by Gaza militants has made that impossible. Hamas accuses Israel of failing to deliver on its side of the bargain.
Wednesday was only the third day since November 4 that Israel had opened the border to food deliveries.
Asked if the border would be open again on Thursday, Lerner said: "It depends on the situation.
"We have had no rockets today, which is a positive sign. But it only takes one rocket to change that."
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
