UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees,

Still, Abu Sa’da says she would do it again if needed.Limited water and electricity

Water is scarce and electricity is almost non-existent in Gaza, making it nearly impossible for people to use the limited supplies they manage to obtain.Reporting live from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum explained that it is “impossible to cook any dry food in Gaza - including lentils, rice, or even pasta - without having water"."And if you had water, you would also need electricity or a fuel source, which have both been completely cut off entirely from Gaza," he said.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is a newly established, US- and Israeli-approved organisation that is distributing food to Palestinians in Gaza. The organisation has already been marred with delays and difficulties, with the United Nations saying the group does not have the ability to deal with the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, following Israel’s three-month blockade of supplies into the besieged Strip.Under increasing pressure to lift the blockade on Gaza and allow essential supplies in, Israel has attempted to present a solution by distributing aid via the US-backed GHF. However, Jake Wood, a US military veteran overseeing the organisation, has already resigned, saying it would not be able to fulfil the principles of "humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence".

The GHF “restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet”, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said at the Security Council last week. “It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip. It is a cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement.”

The UN and other humanitarian organisations have refused to work with the GHF on the basis that it would compromise values and put their teams and those receiving aid at risk. They have said the GHF can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near a few distribution hubs or else face starvation. The UN has also opposed the use of facial recognition to vet those receiving aid.The political decision was agreed upon by EU foreign ministers last week and follows a similar announcement by the United States earlier this month.

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdel Wahed, reporting from Damascus, said, “There is no detail about the origin of the shipment, but we know this has a crucial significance for the Syrian people and the government.“This is an indication the country can be re-integrated into the international community, that trade and commerce can be reactivated and an indication that the country, in the aftermath of the release of international sanctions, can be re-connected to the international financial system.”

The lifting of sanctions is expected to accelerate the reconstruction of Syria’s infrastructure and economy. Syrian banks, including the Central Bank of Syria, now have renewed access to European financial markets.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the move, reaffirming Europe’s “commitment” to helping Syrians rebuild a “new, inclusive, peaceful Syria”.