Aid convoys in Gaza face delays despite 'secure' routes: UN

WASHINGTON

Aid convoys continue to face hurdles in delivering assistance to people in need in the Gaza Strip despite Israeli assurances declaring designated routes "secure," the UN said Thursday.

"Our colleagues say that despite Israeli announcements regarding the designation of convoy routes as secure, trucks continue to face long delays that expose drivers, aid workers and crowds to danger," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

The long waits are because a single route has been made available for UN teams exiting the Kerem Shalom crossing inside Gaza, Haq said, adding Israeli ground forces have set up an "ad hoc checkpoint" on that route.

Haq said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urges the Israeli authorities to allow the "consistent and simultaneous" entry of large volumes of diverse humanitarian and commercial supplies through all crossing points and multiple routes.

"To ensure no one is left behind, aid must be distributed at the community level," he said.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued an offensive on Gaza since late 2023, killing more than 60,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and has led to deaths by starvation.