I have just returned from my first MEP mission to the Egyptian border, Rafah checkpoint. The team included four MEPs from Renew Europe. We wanted to see what was happening with humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The Rafah crossing is the only crossing open as all crossings in Israel are closed except for the Kerem Shalom crossing, which opened on Sunday. Previously, about 500 trucks a day entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom alone. Commercial transportation is currently suspended. Only humanitarian aid passes through Rafah, so we wanted to see what was happening there, talk to the NGOs and the Red Crescent who are in charge of logistics.

It should be taken into account that Rafah is a crossing through which people, not goods, pass. We have confirmed that humanitarian aid is not reaching the people of Gaza. It’s not a lack of supplies; there’s tons of aid waiting to be distributed. The European Union quadrupled its contributions: from 25 to 100 million euros. But it doesn’t come.

Before reaching Rafah, we pass through the center of Al-Arish, where a large logistics depot has been created for incoming humanitarian aid. Trucks heading to Rafah are loaded there. This is 50 kilometers of queues of humanitarian aid trucks that wait several days to pass through Rafah.

The question is, what is going on, what problem is preventing the Gazans from accessing it?. To enter the Rafah checkpoint, trucks need permission from Israel, which inspects everything entering the sector. To check their cargo, they have to go to Keres Shalom Alley. It’s been verified there. Nothing considered dual-use is available, but solar panels, batteries, generators, air purifiers or oxygen tanks fall into this category. It is an indispensable material in hospitals. But tents are also sent for protection from the cold, although sometimes they are approved and sometimes not. It’s all very arbitrary.

Once approved, the material enters Gaza, where it is unloaded. They put it back into trucks that distribute it throughout Gaza. But these cars don’t always have gas.

One kilometer from hell

The situation is terrible because you are a kilometer from hell with thousands of people who need everything: water, food, medicine, and you see this help piling up so close to them. Our conclusion: there is no humanitarian aid, although tons of aid is being sent because there is no access. Israeli authorities restricted access through Rafah and then blocked the arrival of aid through these checks.

The international community cannot remain in good conscience. Without access there can be no humanitarian assistance. Access should be wide: about 400 trucks per day. And the safety of humanitarian workers must be guaranteed. It should be able to distribute on the Strip.

We also saw Al Arish Hospital in Cairo as well as a French medical ship. There, the first attention is given to those leaving the Gaza Strip. If they are more serious, they are transferred to hospitals in Cairo, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Very few people come for treatment, considering the wounded. On average, 20 people can go outside per day. These are the ones who need quick intervention.

The scenes are devastating. The number of children affected is appalling. Most of them are amputations. We saw children aged 10, 12 and 16 years old. They tell stories of real horror. Some don’t know if their mother or father is still alive. There was a woman with us with four children, the youngest was four, and the oldest about 16. All had amputations. The teenager’s leg was amputated from the hip. They say they don’t understand what’s happening, ask for help, and want to return home.

The Cairo hospital cares for those born alive and those born prematurely. Your heart skips a beat when you see premature babies who have also experienced the transfer. Everyone has a sign with their name and their mother’s name. They are looking for the mother, but in most cases the sign reads “dead mother” or “missing mother.”

At some point, the international community must force Israel to stop this continuous attack on defenseless civilians and open humanitarian corridors to guarantee the safety of workers. More aid workers have died in 60 days of conflict than in the last five years. Israeli authorities are creating serious problems issuing visas to humanitarian workers or renewing documents. Many of them are tired, can’t take it anymore and need to be replaced.

Israel is violating international humanitarian law in the most brutal manner. He does this because the international community allows him to do so. He has US support. The EU is moving, but there has been a clear division in the process. The US has made the Security Council useless. It is clear that Israel acts this way because it enjoys the protection of the international community, especially the passivity of the United States and Europe. The international community can not only ask, but also demand the introduction of sanctions.

Collective punishment of civilians is prohibited (…) If this issue is not resolved, Israel will bomb dead people.”

I hope the international community will respond and demand that Israel allow access to humanitarian aid. The consequences in terms of human lives will be horrific: there is a risk of cholera outbreaks, infections… There are those who die from infections after surgery. There is malnutrition. Collective punishment of civilians is prohibited. We defended Israel’s existence as a state and its right to self-defense. But they attack defenseless civilians with incomprehensible cruelty. They bomb them, deny access to the sector and block the humanitarian corridor so that the international community can help them.

If this problem is not resolved, Israel will bomb dead people.

International law has been blown up. If we lose the legitimacy to condemn it and use the tools at our disposal, including sanctions, we will lose the legitimacy to do so in other cases. The EU’s role is being undermined compared to the rest of the international community due to our double standards. This is outrageous under international humanitarian law. In this case, there is a strategy to use the lack of access to humanitarian aid as a weapon of war.

Soraya Rodriguez She is an MEP as part of the Citizens (Renew Europe) delegation.