Gaza’s government media office denies entry of aid trucks into Gaza
GAZA— Conflicting reports emerged on Wednesday about the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid a weeks-long Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave.
While the Israeli army claimed that it allowed 93 UN trucks loaded with flour, baby food, medical equipment, and medicine to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the UN did not confirm delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory.
Gaza’s government media office, for its part, denied the entry of aid into the blockaded seaside enclave.
“Israel didn’t allow the entry of any humanitarian aid for more than 80 days,” Ismail Thawabteh, who heads the media office, told Anadolu.
“The trucks are still waiting at the border and have not been delivered to any humanitarian agency,” he said
“Aid has not entered Gaza amid a systematic starvation that threatens the lives of more than 2.4 million Palestinians.”
The Israeli army claimed that the aid trucks are currently under security checks before being allowed into Gaza.
On Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Israel has approved the entry of around 100 aid trucks into Gaza.
The announcement came a day after just nine aid trucks were cleared for entry into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday – a number that OCHA and other aid groups have repeatedly said is far below what is needed to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of Gaza’s population.
“Out of those nine, five of them actually crossed into Gaza … for logistical reasons. Four of them were not able to enter,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs office.
Laerke said the trucks that entered so far were not enough to cover even 1% of the needed amount in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, OCHA chief Tom Fletcher told BBC’s Radio 4 Today program on Tuesday that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours if aid trucks did not reach communities in the enclave.
Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one meal every two or three days amid Israel’s crippling blockade.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. — AA
