On Tuesday (local time), the United Nations (UN) confirmed that the first trucks carrying food and essential supplies had entered Gaza following an 11-week-long blockade. However, the aid has not yet been distributed due to logistical constraints resulting from Israel’s on-ground military activities.
During a press briefing, UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stressed the urgent need for distributing the aid and described the current efforts as insufficient in the face of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
“Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the first trucks of vital baby food are now inside Gaza after 11 weeks of total blockade, and it is urgent that we get that assistance distributed. We need much, much more to cross,” Dujarric stated.
“This is a drop in the ocean of what’s required to address the massive scale of humanitarian needs. The deprivation we are seeing in Gaza is the result of ongoing bombardments, blockade, and recurrent displacement,” he added.
According to Dujarric, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sent flour, medicines, and nutritional supplies into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Baby formula and other critical items were delivered earlier this week, but distribution remains blocked due to Israeli procedures requiring supplies to be offloaded and reloaded, causing hours-long delays.
“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that today, the UN is sending flour, medicines, nutrition supplies and other basics through the Israeli fence into the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom. Yesterday, we managed to get in baby formula and other nutrition supplies… Today, our team waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access Kerem Shalom and collect the nutrition supplies. Just to make it clear, while more supplies have come into the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points,” the spokesperson clarified.
Earlier on Tuesday, the UN reportedly received Israeli approval to send 93 additional aid trucks into Gaza, according to Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, fuel shortages have severely crippled water and sanitation services across the region. Dujarric warned of an impending total shutdown in northern Gaza and stated that southern regions have received none of the required 140,000 litres of fuel per week.
“The partners providing water and sanitation services report that their operations continue to be severely disrupted across the Strip due to the ongoing fuel shortages. In the northern part of Gaza, no fuel is currently available, and only half of the required weekly supply was received last week. As a result, fuel reserves are nearly depleted. Operating hours for water wells have been further reduced, and complete shutdowns are imminent. In southern Gaza, water utilities have not received any fuel, although 140,000 litres per week are needed to maintain operations,” he said.
The blockade, which began on March 2, was intensified by Israel’s “Gideon’s Chariots” military operation launched on May 17. The offensive aimed to retain control over Gaza, relocate civilians to the south, target Hamas, and limit the group’s access to aid.
On Monday, under pressure from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the entry of a “basic quantity” of food, following fears of a looming famine in Gaza, Euronews reported.
In a significant diplomatic backlash, the UK, France, and Canada jointly condemned Israel’s expanded military operations, calling the humanitarian situation “intolerable.” They also criticised settlement expansions in the West Bank and threatened further action, including potential sanctions, unless Israel halts its offensive.