The first aid truck entered Gaza after nearly three months of Israel’s complete blockade of food, medicines, and other supplies into the war-affected area. Israel and the United Nations said on Monday that five trucks carrying baby food and other aid entered the territory of over 2 million Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to COGAT—the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories).
The United Nations called the move “a welcome development” but also emphasized that more aid is urgently needed to address what it described as the worst humanitarian crisis the world is currently facing. Gaza is also facing severe food shortages, and as recently as last week, security experts warned of an impending famine in the territory.
More Aid Needed: UN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said that his decision to allow limited and basic aid into Gaza came after pressure from allied nations, who warned that they would not support Israel’s military offensive if ‘images of widespread hunger’ emerged from Palestinian territories. Similarly, United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that the few trucks allowed are “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.” He further mentioned that an additional four UN trucks had been cleared to enter Gaza and might arrive by tomorrow, according to COGAT officials.
During and after the ceasefire, more than 600 aid trucks entered Gaza daily. However, given the chaotic situation on the ground, the UN predicts that some of this aid could be looted or stolen. Fletcher urged the Israeli government to open multiple crossings in northern and southern Gaza to permit a regular flow of aid trucks from wherever possible.
The announcement of aid trucks entering the war-hit zone has raised some hope among Palestinians who are desperately in need of food, medicine, and other essential supplies. Over the weekend, Israel launched a new wave of air and ground operations across Gaza, and the army has announced that Khan Younis—the second-largest city in Gaza—needs to be evacuated. This is the same city where Israeli forces carried out a massive operation earlier in the 19-month war, which left much of the area reduced to rubble.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel plans to “take control of all of Gaza” as well as establish a new system to distribute aid that circumvents Hamas. He also stated that Israel would not oppose the voluntary emigration of a significant portion of Gaza’s population to other countries.
