GENEVA

The UN humanitarian office on Tuesday warned that recent reports of aid distribution by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) risk distracting from the urgent humanitarian priorities in Gaza such as sustained access, safe conditions, and expedited approval of emergency supplies.

"It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza, and faster facilitation of missions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border and needs to get in," Jens Laerke, spokesperson OCHA, told reporters in Geneva.

Laerke was responding to a question about whether the UN had seen any confirmed delivery of aid by the controversial US-backed aid group GHF, which announced on Monday that it had begun distributing food in the enclave.

Juliette Touma, UNRWA's director of communications, also expressed skepticism about the reported delivery, saying the agency could not independently confirm the activity.

"We've seen those reports. We've also seen some photos that we, of course, cannot confirm. What I do know, however, is that the needs are 500 to 600 trucks (daily) at a minimum, that should go into Gaza loaded with supplies, not only food, but also medicine, medical supplies," Touma said.

The GHF’s involvement in an Israeli-controlled aid mechanism has raised concern among humanitarian actors who say meaningful relief requires large-scale, sustained access. Aid groups continue to call for the reopening of critical crossings like Rafah and Kerem Shalom and for the safety of humanitarian workers operating inside Gaza.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Limited aid is said to have started entering Gaza after more than a two-month Israeli blockade.