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Israel on Tuesday moved ahead with a new “major” military attack in Gaza, launching numerous airstrikes across the enclave that health authorities say have killed at least 85 Palestinians, despite growing international criticism from allies and enemies.
Israeli officials also said they allowed it in more trucks carrying aid.
Two days after Israel granted assistance to Gaza, the new supplies desperately needed have yet to reach those in desperate need of them. According to the United Nations, most of Gaza’s 2.1 million population is in great demand for basic supplies, food and medicine.
“To make that clear, more supplies have come to the Gaza Strip, but we have not been able to ensure that those supplies arrive at our warehouses and delivery points,” said Stephen Dujaric, a UN spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.
After Israel imposed a lockdown on all imports into Gaza almost three months ago, the inhabitants of the world’s most dense territories have been sustaining life under horrifying circumstances. Experts have repeatedly warned that most of the population is at a serious risk of hunger.
Cogat, an Israeli defense agency that oversees humanitarian assistance, said five trucks came in on Monday and 93 trucks came in on Tuesday. Dujarric said the UN only saw dozens of trucks that entered Gaza on Tuesday.
The assistance included flour for the bakery, food for the soup kitchen, and medical supplies.
However, according to the United Nations, the aid did not actually reach the Palestinians. Dujarric described the new security process for receiving assistance from the warehouse as “long, complicated, complicated and dangerous.”
He said Israeli military requirements for aid workers to unload and reload trucks is hampering efforts to distribute aid. Cogat did not immediately comment on the new steps.
The UN Humanitarian Agency said it prioritizes baby formula in its first shipment, and announced that the first truck, which is more than 11 weeks, has finally arrived in Gaza.
“The first track of important baby food is in Gaza after an 11-week total lockdown, and it is urgent that support will be distributed as needed.
The UN Humanitarian Agency has received approval for about 100 trucks to enter Gaza, spokesman Jens Laerke said. Much less than the 600 trucks that crossed the Enclave every day during the latest ceasefire that ended in March. Israel’s foreign ministry said dozens of aid trucks are expected to enter every day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has decided to receive limited aid after pressure from his allies.
Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow “minimal” assistance to Palestinian territory after preventing food, drugs and fuel invasions in an attempt to put pressure on Hamas militant groups.
The United Nations and various human rights and activist groups have denounced Israel for the lockdown, saying the move would be a collective punishment. They also accused Israel of committing war crimes by using hunger as a military strategy.
Additional sources •AP
