UN News UNICEF Representative in Egypt Jeremy Hopkins
October 21, 2023 Humanitarian Aid
The first humanitarian convoy into Gaza following two weeks of conflict crossed the border from Egypt on Saturday morning.
The 20 trucks carried food, water and medical supplies – items that are desperately needed, along with fuel - as stocks in Gaza dwindle, amid fears of increased deaths due to disease outbreaks and lack of healthcare.
While welcoming the development, agencies such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) insist that this cannot be the only convoy, and aid delivery must be continuous and sustained.
‘A drop in the ocean’
Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, said the agency’s contribution to the convoy – two trucks filled with 40,000 litres of bottled water – was but “a drop in the ocean”, given the immense needs in Gaza, including for a humanitarian ceasefire.
‘We also call on the parties to the conflict to avoid any targeting of health and education facilities, which allows us to deliver the aid safely to the health facilities and everywhere that they are needed,” he said.
Mr. Hopkins spoke to UN News several hours after the convoy passed through the Rafah crossing in southern Egypt, where hundreds more trucks are waiting should the border open up again.
He paid tribute to the dedicated UNICEF team on the ground who continue to serve under fire, and discussed the prospects for additional aid convoys.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Jeremy Hopkins: Today we were able to include two UNICEF trucks in the convoy with drinking water, 40,000 litres. It's a drop in the ocean – literally, almost - and that will allow us to reach about 27,000 people with one day’s supply of drinking water. So, a very, very small amount went through today which reinforces the urgent need to have a sustained humanitarian corridor that is open for supplies. And, of course, we hope that there will be additional border posts opening so that the necessary supplies can get in.
UN News: Do you have any information about the next delivery and what that depends on? Do you also have additional emergency supplies in place once the next delivery is given the green light?
Jeremy Hopkins: So, we have quite a good pipeline of water and water systems equipment, medicine and health systems equipment, and a number of other specialized items for child protection and childcare. We have, I think, 12 trucks loaded on stand-by at the border that can be crossed over in a matter of hours the next time it opens. And we have a pipeline sort of coming in by plane and by truck from Cairo and from international destinations with more medical supplies, more waterworks, water systems supplies. Because we know that the priorities in Gaza right now are water, food, medicine and fuel, and so we are prioritizing our pipeline accordingly. We have one million bottles of drinking water in the pipeline ready, just for example, so we have big quantities of the necessary materials. We just need the corridor to be open on a sustained, continuous basis.
UN News: Is there any information about the next delivery?
Jeremy Hopkins: We know that the authorities and the different parties are continuing to discuss how to manage this border in a more sustainable way, and we have every hope that they will do so. I think the details will become clearer as they become clear.