Author: Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 915 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Monday, the second day of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas after 15 months of war.
OCHA cited information from Israel and the cease-fire guarantor states, the US, Qatar and Egypt. The UN said on Sunday that around 630 aid trucks had entered the Palestinian enclave, at least 300 of which had gone to the north, where experts warned famine was imminent.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 aid trucks to be allowed into Gaza each day of the initial six-week ceasefire, including 50 fuel trucks. Half of the 600 aid trucks will be delivered to northern Gaza.
Figures from the UN’s Palestinian aid agency UNRWA show that 2,892 aid trucks entered Gaza in December. The aid is left on the side of the border with Gaza, where the UN takes it over and distributes it.
But gangs and robbers made it difficult. OCHA figures show that 2,230 aid trucks – an average of 72 a day – were picked up in December, while between January 1 and 5 the daily average was 51.
Israel devastated most of Gaza, and the pre-war population of 2.3 million people was repeatedly displaced. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic”.
Guterres told the UN Security Council on Monday that the UN still faces “significant obstacles, challenges and constraints”. He said the UN, humanitarian groups and the private sector needed quick, secure and unhindered access.
“Visas, permits and other enabling conditions must be put in place quickly to enable a wave of desperately needed aid,” he told the 15-member council. “We need the necessary technical, protective and communication equipment.”
Guterres said the parties – Israel and Hamas – must coordinate with the UN in a timely and effective manner so that it can carry out its humanitarian work. “This also includes re-establishing public order and security to prevent looting of humanitarian supplies,” he added.
He called on countries to accept people in need of medical assistance, for sufficient commercial supplies to enter Gaza and for explosive devices to be removed.
Israel says Hamas killed around 1,200 people in the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, and Gaza’s health ministry says more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.
