UN warns aid being hampered in Gaza as closed crossings block deliveries

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN warned on Wednesday that humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is being hindered by closed border crossings by Israel, even as families move to areas that have become accessible since an Oct. 10 ceasefire.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq reported at a news conference that "since the ceasefire took effect more than 10 days ago, the UN and its partners have made progress in scaling up response efforts in Gaza, especially in central and southern areas of the Strip."

"The continued closure of the Zikim and Erez crossings, which provide direct access to the north, make it extremely challenging for humanitarians to reach people there with vital support at the scale needed," he said.

Since the ceasefire, more than 425,000 movements have been reported from southern to northern parts of the Strip, Haq said, with displaced people sheltering in sites such as Jabaliya and two schools in Beit Lahiya, which had previously been unreachable due to Israeli military operations.

On aid delivery, Haq said out of 10 UN-coordinated humanitarian missions inside Gaza on Monday, six were facilitated, including "the collection of water tanks, hygiene kits and fuel from the crossings into Gaza."

"Today, we managed to collect several tankers of fuel and hundreds of pallets of baby diapers," he added.

UN-coordinated trucks carrying almost 1,500 metric tons of aid were collected from the Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings on Monday, nearly three-quarters of which was food, he said.

"Other supplies included shelter materials, animal feed, health supplies and water, sanitation and hygiene items," Haq said.

Stressing the importance of opening the Rafah crossing, Haq warned that "the real test is whether this ceasefire lasts longer than the previous one."

On the occupied West Bank, Haq welcomed a recent US senators' letter to President Donald Trump urging a firmer stance against Israeli annexation and said: "Of course, we're in favor of all steps that discourage the changes to the status quo of the West Bank."