Aid workers say closing of the Rafah crossing is having a devastating impact.
Displaced Palestinians transport their belongings on top of cars as they move to a safer area in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, May 9, 2024., humanitarian workers and doctors are warning that the emergency situation in the southern Gaza border city is worsening and having a "horrific" impact on civilians.
Dr. Mohamed Hamooda, a nutritionist and head kitchen chef in Rafah for the nongovernmental organization Rebuilding Alliance, had been providing hot meals to thousands of displaced people there since February. However, he was recently forced to evacuate amid orders from the IDF and went to Khan Younis.
Kahler told ABC News that it's "absolutely undeniable" that the closed border has only worsened the aid crisis in Rafah, and in Gaza as a whole. He said a huge segment of the population is suffering from malnourishment and starvation, and while aid can supply people with the calories they need, it's no guarantee of survival.
"The whole aid operation runs on fuel, so if the fuel is cut off, the aid collapses and it collapses quickly," he said. "That means water can't be pumped, lights can't be kept on in hospitals, vehicles cannot distribute aid. So what we're seeing with this total closure in the last few days ... really risks the near-term collapse of the aid operation."
Humanitarian workers also emphasized that the health care system overall has collapsed in Gaza. Helena Ranchal, a nurse for more than 20 years and director of international operations for the humanitarian organization Médecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, said she's never seen as severe a situation in conflict zones as she has seen in Gaza.
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