Humanitarian Aid Flows Into Gaza With COGAT, Red Crescent Societies’ Efforts
Gaza receives vital resources with collaborative efforts from Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian organizations
The situation in Gaza is deteriorating as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in the wake of Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
As far as Hamas is concerned, the citizens in the Gaza Strip are a means to an end
Speaking to the international press, Col. Elad Goren, head of the civil department of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), said that Israel is acting in accordance with international law and making extreme efforts to minimize harm to civilians.
“As far as Hamas is concerned, the citizens in the Gaza Strip are a means to an end, which is why Hamas manages the humanitarian situation according to how it perceives the operational situation,” he said.
Goren accused Hamas of taking advantage of its governing position in Gaza, maneuvering between carrying out military operations and presenting a humanitarian crisis to the international community.
At the same time as Hamas is trying to persuade the international community to reduce the IDF’s use of force, “they continue to manage their military system, which emphasizes the underground terror infrastructure, which is shielded by civilian facilities, many of which provide humanitarian services,” Goren said.
They have an interest in presenting a fabricated reality
Goren stressed that Gaza’s Health Ministry is run by Hamas and is in close contact with Hamas’ military wing. “When the government releases something to the press, it does so in full synchronization with the press releases of Hamas’ military wing. They have an interest in presenting a fabricated reality,” he said.
COGAT is monitoring the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip daily, together with international organizations including United Nations agencies operating on the ground in Gaza. Goren said that Israel is providing significantly more water, food, energy, and medical supplies to Gaza than is required under international law.
He noted that 90% of Gaza’s drinking water is self-provided, with Israel providing the remaining 10%. During the rocket barrage on Oct. 7, Hamas hit one of the three water lines used to provide water to Gaza, Goren said.
Israel, Goren pointed out, continues to provide water through the two remaining lines to the designated humanitarian area in the south of the Strip. These water lines, Goren told The Media Line, “supply 28 million cubic meters of water every day for a population of 1.6 million people—which is more than enough.”
He noted that this water is managed internally once it reaches Gaza. “What we are seeing from the municipalities is that they are taking those lines and extending them to water tanks, and from those water tanks, they are providing it to the residents. They are announcing hours and locations from which they provide the water,” Goren said.
There is no food shortage. There are food supplies inside Gaza for weeks to come.
Palestinian Red Crescent Society spokesperson Abdalla Elayyan told The Media Line that food, water, and other goods are distributed to Gazans by the Red Crescent and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“There is no food shortage,” Elayyan said. “There are food supplies inside Gaza for weeks to come.” He noted that no exact data was available regarding the amount of water and goods currently stored in Gaza.
Goren said that medical equipment is available in Gaza, although it is managed by Hamas and some of it is reserved for use by Hamas only.
He said that Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack hit nine of the territory’s 10 electric lines, which provided more electricity than the local power plants. Despite that, all essential facilities in Gaza—including hospitals, water desalination facilities, and sewage treatment plants—have alternative sources of energy such as solar panels and generators with local diesel tanks.
Fuel … is nearly depleted in the entire Strip, which will lead to the dysfunctioning of the hospitals [and] the death of thousands of patients, injured, and infants who are on vital monitors
In a joint statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society said that the most crucial need in the Gaza Strip is fuel. According to the statement, “fuel … is nearly depleted in the entire Strip, which will lead to the dysfunctioning of the hospitals [and] the death of thousands of patients, injured, and infants who are on vital monitors.”
The statement also noted that the lack of fuel has led bakeries and water treatment plants to stop functioning.
Goren pointed out that hospitals in Gaza have been warning for the past month that they have only 24 hours remaining of fuel but are continuing to operate regardless. He attributed that fact to Hamas’ interest in keeping the hospitals operational “because hospitals above the ground are becoming Hamas headquarters underground.”
To back up that claim, he referenced a conversation publicized by the IDF between the manager of Al-Shifa Hospital and a Hamas member coordinating the retrieval of 1,600 gallons of fuel.
Goren said that Hamas is putting Gazan civilians at risk in two main ways. First, he said, it is preventing Gazans from moving south to Israel’s designated humanitarian zone. He presented evidence of Hamas blocking the roads to the south, saying that the group intends to keep civilians in the north in order to use them as human shields.
The second way Hamas has harmed Gazans is through damage to the Erez Crossing between Gaza and Israel, Goren said. Until the war broke out, Israel allowed 18,500 Gazan workers to cross into Israel daily. Gazans working in Israel earn on average four times the average monthly salary in Gaza, which is 2,000 shekels ($522).
Similar crossings also allowed for the transit of goods into Gaza, with more than 82,000 trucks bringing over 2.2 million tons of goods into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in 2022 alone.
You can look into Gaza’s GDP numbers, and you will see the enormous increase in the local economy. That is a byproduct of Israeli civil policy, and they destroyed it.
“You can look into Gaza’s GDP numbers, and you will see the enormous increase in the local economy. That is a byproduct of Israeli civil policy, and they destroyed it,” he said.
Goren said that the US has requested for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt. In response, a joint mechanism involving Israel, the US, Egypt, and the UN was developed, which has allowed over 500 aid trucks to enter Gaza since Oct. 21.
The aid lands at El Arish airport in Egypt and is then transported to the Nitzana border crossing with Israel for a security check. From there, the trucks travel to Gaza.
The Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent Societies said that 451 aid shipments had entered Gaza since Oct. 16. The Palestinian Red Crescent distributed the aid, including medicine, food, water, and hygiene items, to more than 300,000 Gazans.
The two aid organizations called for increased aid to Gaza and for the facilitation of aid distribution to the needy, including in northern Gaza.
Goren also spoke about the 241 hostages being held by Hamas, among them women, children, and babies. He urged the international community to assist Israel in its mission to bring them home as soon as possible.
