Disabled athletes braving bombs to feed starving civilians in Gaza
Gaza: Black smoke rises following large explosion
Express.co.uk has been shown footage of disabled volunteers handing out food packages to civilians in Gaza as bombs rained down on the thin strip of land.
Millions of people there are eagerly awaiting crucial aid as supplies run low in the Palestinian territory.
Negotiations with Israel to allow aid trucks into the territory came to a head late this week as an agreement was struck to allow some vehicles carrying goods in from Egypt via the Rafah border.
Multiple reports suggest around 20 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent will be allowed in on Saturday, October 21, although experts say this number falls far short of that required to feed the 2.3 million people trapped.
Civilian and volunteer groups are now taking action to help alleviate the burden and blunt what some fear may turn into a deeper humanitarian crisis.
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The Israeli government has demanded to see proof that all aid deliveries are not seized or diverted by Hamas before authorising further deliveries.
Despite this, volunteer organisation the Gaza Sunbirds, a cycling team of amputees who lost their legs while peacefully protesting at demonstrations in 2018 and 2019, have managed to provide vital foodstuffs for civilians on the ground.
The team managed to pay to release the food stores, eventually feeding 1,800 people, just 0.01 percent of the strip’s population.
They handed out 300kg of loaves and plan to provide more aid in the coming days and weeks should the entire blockade remain in place.
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Team captain, Alla al Dali, told Express.co.uk: “Some people started crying when they received the bread. Tears of joy.
“For bread. People were crying over receiving bread, something that was always available to us is now precious. People used to suffer from the lack of other things but not something as basic as bread.
“It was heartbreaking. It felt as if they were coming back to life receiving that bread… I was out and my wife and family were very afraid for me.
“They were afraid of getting bombed while I wasn’t there too. But it was important for me to help people and I was concerned about getting this bread to people in need.”
Footage taken by members of the Sunbirds during their outreach shows missile fire raining down on the strip just moments away.
Under the current aid agreement, deliveries will be passed from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation.
However, a UN official said that the next convoy might not be allowed to cross until Monday.
Saturday’s delivery is believed to have contained medicine and limited amounts of food.
Officials say at least 100 trucks a day are needed in Gaza to cover urgent needs, and that any delivery of such aid must be sustained at a serious scale.
Before the most recent outbreak of conflict, which occurred after Hamas invaded southern Israel on October 7, an average of 450 aid trucks were arriving in Gaza daily.
Israel has imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off access to food, water, electricity and fuel.
In a statement, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said: “The humanitarian situation in Gaza – already precarious – has reached catastrophic levels.
“I am confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies – including food, water, medicine and fuel.”
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