INTERNATIONAL aid groups that have lined up thousands of aid lorries for Gaza say they are ready to move quickly to send in food, water and other supplies if a pause in fighting between Hamas and Israel takes hold as hoped on Thursday.
The Israel-Hamas truce will take effect from 10am local time (8am GMT), which will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7 attack on southern Israel.
The deal will also see the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
READ MORE: Gaza loses access to phone and internet services
Suffice to say, the aid is needed.
In this latest instalment of our Diaries from Gaza series, we speak with Fidaa Al-Araj who says that gaining access to water and bread takes up almost all of her day.
“It takes hours, I can’t believe how easy our lives used to be,” she said.
Wassem Mushtaha, meanwhile, lists all the basic necessities they are lacking.
“The market is almost empty, and there is a major shortage in essential food and basic items. No bread, no dairy products, no salt or milk. No canned food, no blankets or mattresses," he explained.
“Access to basic services is very limited. No electricity, no gas, no water. No health system, no education.”
He then added: “We feel trapped in a dark tunnel, unsure of where we are heading and facing a dire situation.”
Details remain unclear about the mechanics of getting more aid for beleaguered Palestinians.
The aid groups say a key ambition will be to get help to northern Gaza, which has been largely inaccessible to humanitarian shipments and where nearly all hospitals have stopped working amid a blistering military campaign by Israeli forces.
“The entire humanitarian sector is ready to scale up once everything is set,” said Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, referring to the fine print of the announced deal.
Della Longa lamented “bottlenecks” that have confounded the deliveries of some humanitarian aid, though not nearly enough, into Gaza.
He said IFRC hopes that a deal would include provisions to allow for a “faster track” of aid shipments.
The only route for international humanitarian aid into Gaza since October 7 has been through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt, and planeloads of supplies have been flown into the nearby Egyptian city of El-Arish and lorries have queued up near Gaza.
Intense Israeli inspections of lorries and cargo have slowed entry into Gaza.
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