Humanitarian Frontline Heroes: Distributing Aid under Fire in the Gaza Strip

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Nasser and his colleagues offer a lifeline for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. True frontline heroes, they have shown unrelenting determination to coordinate the distribution of vital humanitarian aid such as food, medicine, water and blankets, despite the enormous challenges.  Movement restrictions as a result of military action require painstaking coordination and follow-up, but this is nearly impossible due to intermittent communications blackouts.  

Nasser works around the clock from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, ensuring the safe arrival of humanitarian aid destined for shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs). "I am honored to be part of the UNRWA team, tirelessly delivering aid to displaced people in the Gaza Strip. Despite the challenges we face, our determination is unwavering. Together, we strive to bring hope and support to those in need during times of crisis," he says.  

Starting their days early in the morning, Nasser and his team shuttle between the Rafah Crossing and the UNRWA Logistics Base in eastern Rafah, from where aid is coordinated and distributed to shelters and other distribution centres.  At the time of writing, Nasser and the UNRWA Logistics team were striving to distribute aid to approximately 90 shelters, including 33 centres in Rafah and 25 centres in Khan Younis. 

The recent influx of large numbers of IDPs from the north and middle areas of the Gaza Strip to Rafah, overwhelming the already overcrowded shelters, feeds the motivation of Nasser and his team to continue working despite the risks they and other UNRWA aid workers face travelling at the epicentre of the war. 

Such risks were made starkly clear on 5 February when an UNRWA food convoy was hit by Israeli naval gunfire. Luckily, nobody was injured.