More support is needed to alleviate the suffering and severe malnutrition in Gaza after the long-awaited reopening of the Rafah crossing, the Gulf director of Unicef has said.
The recent partial opening at Rafah, the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine, has enabled about 165,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to flow into the strip, but significantly more is required.
“In Gaza, the needs are enormous, they’re huge,” Lana Al Wreikat, Gulf director of Unicef, told The National at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. “With just one crossing, to continue to respond through a supply line is not enough. We're talking about a situation where there is severe malnutrition.
“Education was disrupted and we have a huge number of unaccompanied children separated from their families, and a decreased capacity across social services. We cannot continue to speak about only one basically corridor and a pipeline – that's why we really need to rally more support.”
The UAE has pledged $550 million to support the UN’s Global Humanitarian Overview, which aims to raise $33 billion this year to support more than 135 million people worldwide.
“The UAE has been our partner in terms of the humanitarian files across many countries, Gaza is only one,” said Ms Al Wreikat. “That's a very generous contribution, but I mean we're also counting on them in terms of advocacy with us on outreach and on access.”
A US-led initiative proposed by President Donald Trump has been mooted as a potential replacement for some UN efforts in Gaza.
So far, 10 countries have signed up to the project that will focus on security and a peace plan for Gaza, including the UAE. Sixty nations have been invited to join the board, that will be led by Mr Trump.
“Unicef and other UN agencies are engaged with all parties; we are talking to the different member states,” Ms Al Wreikat said.
“We understand that many of the member states from the GCC are represented in that board, so we will definitely continue to liaise and continue to make our points in relation to what makes sense for children and how we can restore social services for every child and their families.”
So far, Unicef has prepared significant aid packages to support those without running water and shelter. They include nutrition packs, water sanitation kits, hygiene kits and items for neonatal care.
