GAZA CITY: Gaza residents took advantage of a three-hour lull in Israeli bombing yesterday to rush into the streets and stock up on supplies.
Cars and pedestrians returned to the roads of Gaza City after Israel halted bombardment to allow humanitarian supplies into the beleaguered territory.
Queues formed outside bakeries and grocery shops reopened for the first time since Israel sent ground troops into Gaza late on Saturday after a week of aerial and naval attacks. Others rushed to hospitals to visit injured relatives or search for loved ones.
“As soon as the three-hour truce was announced, people took advantage of the calm to go out in the street to buy food,” said one Gaza resident, who asked that her name not be used. “But the stores are empty,” she added.
Gazans have withstood intense Israeli aerial and naval attacks that have killed nearly 700 people over the past 12 days - one of Israel’s deadliest ever offensives on the crowded territory and launched on Dec. 27 in response to Hamas rocket fire.
“Three hours is not enough,” said Mohammad Azzan, 45. “We don’t have water, we don’t have electricity, we don’t have food. I fear that after this pause, a big Israeli operation will follow and they will invade all of our neighborhoods.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the army was holding its fire to give the residents of the battered territory a “humanitarian respite.” “During this time, the Palestinians will be able to acquire basic necessities, replenish stocks and seek aid from the various international organizations operating within the Gaza Strip,” said a statement.
The announcement came hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would open a humanitarian corridor into Gaza - a key point of an Egyptian plan to end the 12-day-old campaign.
“In order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to adopt a proposal by the security establishment to open a humanitarian corridor into the Gaza Strip to assist the population,” said a statement from his office.
“This involves opening up geographical areas for limited periods of time during which the population will be able to receive the aid and stock up.”
Meanwhile, the international Red Cross revealed yesterday that a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance man was killed and two others were wounded after being hit during an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip last weekend.
Three other Red Crescent medical teams and at least four ambulances have been caught in crossfire since then, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement.
One ambulance had been called out by the Israeli military on Monday under an established coordination mechanism with the Red Crescent, yet was subsequently hit by gunfire from Israeli soldiers, Federation spokesman Paul Conneally told Agence France Presse in Geneva.
The Federation said the Palestinian Red Crescent had also been forced to evacuate several of its premises “in areas where humanitarian needs are often greatest” because of such incidents.
In the first incident on Sunday, the ambulance man, Arafa Abdul Dayem, was killed by mortar fire during an uncoordinated medical evacuation mission in Jabaliya, after retreating from the same area earlier due to heavy fighting, Conneally said.
The Federation and its sister organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reiterated appeals to all sides to “do their utmost to ensure the safety of Palestinian Red Crescent staff as they carry out essential life-saving duties.”
“The humanitarian space is shrinking fast for both medical workers and for civilians,” Conneally said. The Palestinian Red Crescent has a coordination mechanism through the ICRC with Israeli authorities that is meant to allow ambulances to get clearance to allow them to pick up the dead and wounded safely even in conflicts.
However, the latest incidents indicated that the mechanism was “insufficient,” the Federation said. Conneally added: “Most of the evacuations are without coordination because the system has quite frankly collapsed.”
ICRC spokesman Florian Westphal underlined the mechanism, which involves an established line of telephone communication with Israeli authorities and safety guarantees, had worked during fighting in Gaza before. “We feel that more can be done,” he added.
