The relief supplies of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during the Israel–Hamas War, 2023
Introduction: To contribute to health of Palestine refugees displaced by the Israel–Hamas War of 2023, we examined changes in shipment of relief supplies for the Palestine refugees displaced by the Israel–Hamas War of 2023 donated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971224008142 |
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| Summary: | Introduction: To contribute to health of Palestine refugees displaced by the Israel–Hamas War of 2023, we examined changes in shipment of relief supplies for the Palestine refugees displaced by the Israel–Hamas War of 2023 donated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during the Israel–Hamas War of 2023. Methods: We used data on “the number of trucks conveying relief supplies into Gaza” (nTrucks) in the UNRWA's online logistics platform. We compared the weekly changes in nTrucks donated by UNRWA (nT–UNRWA) with those donated by the others (nT–the–others), and the weekly changes in nTrucks passing the Rafah Crossing (nT–Rafah–Crossing) with those passing the Kerem Shalom Crossing (nT–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing) during the 196 days from October 21, 2023, to May 18, 2024, using the Cochran-Armitage test. Furthermore, we analyzed the daily correlations between “the proportion of nT–UNRWA to nT–UNRWA + nTrucks donated by Egyptian Red Crescent (nT–ERC)” (P–UNRWA) and “the proportion of nT–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing to nT–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing + nT–Rafah–Crossing” (P–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing) for the same period using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. Results: nT–UNRWA significantly increased over time compared to nT–the–others (p < 0.001), and the nT–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing significantly increased over time compared to the nT–Rafah–Crossing (p < 0.001). P–UNRWA was positively correlated with P–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing (r = 0.48, p < 0.001). Discussion: Geographical factors might have influenced the results of this study. When the Israel–Hamas War of 2023 started, the main crossing was the Rafah Crossing, but has gradually shifted to the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Because the Rafah Crossing lies on the Egypt–Gaza border, whereas the Kerem Shalom Crossing lies on the Israel-Gaza border, trucks conveying relief supplies from Jordan, where the main office of UNRWA is located, to the Rafah Crossing must cross both the Jordan-Israel and Israel–Egypt borders. This hinders trucks from entering Gaza, resulting in a decrease in nTrucks. In contrast, trucks from Jordan must only cross the Jordan–Israel border to reach the Kerem Shalom Crossing. These factors might have spurred the increase in nT-UNRWA over time. In addition, to reach the Rafah Crossing, trucks conveying relief supplies from Egypt, where the main office of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) is located, do not need to cross any borders, whereas to reach the Kerem Shalom Crossing, they must cross the Israel–Egypt border. These factors might have increased the correlation between P–UNRWA and P–Kerem–Shalom–Crossing. Conclusion: To utilize UNRWA aid more effectively, it might be better to develop transportation routes using the Kerem Shalom Crossing. |
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| ISSN: | 1201-9712 |