UN: Despite ceasefire, Israeli restrictions continue to delay Gaza aid
Despite some progress in delivering food to Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the population remains in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations has affirmed.
The UN and its partners have been able to get 37,000 metric tons of aid, mostly food, into Gaza since the October 10 ceasefire, but much more is needed, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Friday.
“Despite significant progress on the humanitarian scale-up, people’s urgent needs are still immense, with impediments not being lifted quickly enough since the ceasefire,” Haq said, citing reports from the UN’s humanitarian group, OCHA.
Haq highlighted that the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza continues to be limited to only two crossings – the al-Karara (also known as Kissufim) and Karem Abu Salem crossings.
There is no direct access to northern Gaza from Israel or to southern Gaza from Egypt, while NGO staff are being denied entry into the territory, he said.