Rare look inside Gaza shows the challenges complicating a humanitarian crisis

Southern Gaza Strip – In a rare moment of access to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, CBS News visited a critical aid distribution center on Wednesday just inside the Gaza Strip, near the Karem Shalom border crossing from Israel. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza after more than a year of the Israel-Hamas war remains dire.

Israeli officials say about 200 trucks cross from Israel into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom checkpoint every day, on average, carrying desperately needed supplies for Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict. 

But a pressing question persists: Is the aid reaching those who need it most?

At the distribution center, truck drivers and aid workers told CBS News about the struggles they face, including the looting of humanitarian goods, which they said remained a significant problem in Gaza. The chaos and lawlessness in the region often prevents supplies from reaching the intended recipients. 

“The aid is not getting through because of the gangs intercepting it on the road,” says Mohammed Shehibar, a Palestinian logistics coordinator from Al-Rimal, a neighborhood in Gaza City, who spoke with us as he oversaw workers loading forklifts full of fresh fruit.

He said that of 100 trucks that went out from this site, “only 70 or 60 reached their destinations.” The rest, he said, were looted.

“The only guarantee to get aid delivered safely is that there would [be] some stability in Gaza,” he said. “They [the gangs] take up positions near the border … near the [Israeli] army … and they don’t face any problems.”

International aid agencies have also complained that not enough aid is entering the Gaza Strip. 

Last Sunday on CBS News’ “Face The Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Program, said her organization had only been able to get two aid trucks through the crossing in the month of November. 

“That’s not true,” said Col. Abdullah Halabi, the head of Israel’s Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza. “The humanitarian community just in the last two weeks, with our development of facilities around Gaza, like on other crossings, they managed to move an average of 200 trucks to the central and to the south of Gaza.”

Israeli officials insist that ample aid is flowing into Gaza. They emphasize the difficulties of delivering supplies in an active war zone and call for greater assistance from the international community to ensure safe passage and effective distribution within the decimated enclave.

Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ brutal attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people. More than 100 hostages seized by Hamas are still being held. Since the start of the war in Gaza, at least 44,580 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and most of its residents have been internally displaced.

Danger was palpable during our visit, with the sound of shelling echoing nearby. Aid truck drivers risk their lives to navigate the perilous conditions created by shattered infrastructure and security threats inside Gaza, highlighting the immense challenges faced by both aid agencies and Gazan civilians.

There has been cautious hope recently, however, as reports suggest ongoing negotiations for a hostage release deal could lead to a temporary ceasefire, and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

 If such a deal does materialize, distribution centers like the one on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing may soon be overwhelmed with additional supplies, offering a lifeline to those in desperate need.