Watch: Mary Robinson speaks out against Israel's aid embargo on visit to Gaza crossing point
Mary Robinson, centre, was part of the delegation of The Elders peace advocacy group who visited the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, Mrs Robinson posted an Instagram video from the crossing. Picture: Mohamed Arafat/AP
Wheelchairs, crutches, and children's books were among the essential items that Israel is deliberately blocking from entering Gaza, according to a firsthand account from former president of Ireland Mary Robinson during her visit to the Rafah crossing.
The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke passionately from the location which lies between Egypt and Gaza. She formed part of a delegation from The Elders, which was convened by Nelson Mandela in 2007 and advocates for peace across the world.
The group also included former prime minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark.
In a video posted to the organisation's Instagram, page Mrs Robinson said: "We have seen in the warehouse the tents that have not been delivered, the generators that have not been delivered, the wheelchairs, the crutches, the children’s books, and other things that have not been delivered.
“But some food is getting in.
"It was interesting to talk to a driver who was rejected for the second time because of minor problems, even though there is very good checking, as we know by the Egyptian Red Crescent and by the UN in collaboration.”
She expressed concern that Israel is deliberately blocking aid from reaching people who are starving, with some aid trucks facing rejection and added:
"Although people are working on this side, people are not working as hard on the other side.
“All of the obstruction is on the other side. It is utterly devastating to see the sheer volume of vital materials sitting there. Oxygen tanks, generators, wheelchairs, crutches, it’s unbelievable.”
In a subsequent statement, the Elders delegation described the events in Gaza as “unfolding genocide and famine".
They also emphasised the need for international sanctions on Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his country’s security cabinet.
The group is pleading with other countries to abandon shipments of weapons to Israel as the death toll among Palestinians reaches 60,000.
"The uncomfortable truth is that many states are prioritising their own economic and security interests, even as the world is reeling from the images of Gazan children starving to death,” they said following their three-day visit.
It comes after Tánaiste Simon Harris lent his name to a joint statement alongside 24 other foreign ministers condemning the actions of Israel.
“The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes,” the statement read. “Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised.
“However, due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs [non-governmental organisations] may be forced to leave the OPTs [Occupied Palestinian Territories] imminently, which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further."
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