Gaza aid deliveries at 25% of target

Turkiye was still mediating on May 20 over the fate of Hamas fighters holed up in the Rafah area as conditions across Gaza deteriorated under a ceasefire that aid agencies and rights groups say is being only partly implemented. Gaza officials told The New Arab that 2,719 aid trucks entered the enclave between April 19 and May 19, against 10,800 envisioned under the truce terms. Human Rights Watch said on May 19 that Israeli authorities were undermining humanitarian lifelines and killing civilians during the ceasefire. Gaza officials cited by The New Arab said the death toll had topped 72,700. ### Why are talks about Rafah fighters part of the ceasefire story? Turkish, U.S. and Arab mediators have been trying to secure safe passage for Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels and other positions in the Rafah area, according to Reuters reporting carried by Arab News. The proposal under discussion would allow some fighters to move to other parts of Gaza after surrendering their weapons, according to the report. Israeli officials have resisted such an arrangement, Reuters reported, leaving one of the ceasefire’s unresolved military issues still open. The talks matter because the fighters are in an Israel-controlled zone of southern Gaza, and their fate has become tied to whether the truce can hold in practice. ### How far short are aid deliveries? Gaza officials said only 2,719 trucks entered during the month from April 19 to May 19, compared with 10,800 expected under the ceasefire framework, according to The New Arab. That works out to roughly one quarter of the planned level. Human Rights Watch said on May 19 that Gaza’s humanitarian infrastructure remained in peril more than six months after the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. (arabnews.com) The group said Israeli authorities were restricting the entry of food, fuel, shelter materials and medical supplies, and warned that famine risk was returning. ### What does Human Rights Watch say happened during the truce? (newarab.com) Human Rights Watch said at least 593 aid workers had been killed in Gaza since October 2023, citing U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs figures, including eight killed since the ceasefire began. The group said Israeli forces had carried out attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure during the truce period. (hrw.org) The rights group said the Board of Peace was preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on May 21 on a six-month progress report tied to the ceasefire. Human Rights Watch said that report should address failures to protect civilians and maintain humanitarian access. ### How are movement limits showing up in daily life? Arab News reported on May 20 that Gazans were being barred from traveling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj despite the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. (hrw.org) The same report said many families also could not carry out the customary Eid al-Adha animal sacrifice because livestock and cash were scarce and movement remained restricted. Those limits add to evidence that the ceasefire has not restored normal civilian movement even where large-scale diplomacy is still active. Gaza residents cited in Arab News described the crossing arrangements as too limited to allow ordinary travel. ### What number are Gaza officials using for the death toll? Gaza officials cited by The New Arab said the death toll had risen above 72,700 as Israeli attacks intensified across parts of the enclave. (arabnews.com) The same report said data from the Gaza Centre for Human Rights showed an average of 105 deaths a day documented between April 19 and May 19, along with an average of 14 injuries a day and around 15 daily incidents involving gunfire and shelling. Israel has previously disputed casualty figures issued by Gaza authorities, but the latest count is the number cited in the reporting around this phase of the ceasefire. ### What comes next in the next 24 hours? May 21 is the next formal checkpoint. Human Rights Watch said the Board of Peace was scheduled to brief the U.N. Security Council that day on its six-month progress report, while mediators were still trying to resolve the Rafah fighters issue and humanitarian agencies were tracking whether truck entries rise above the 2,719 recorded in the prior month. (newarab.com) (hrw.org)