Reports from the United Nations indicate that the organization has gained permission from Israel to allow approximately 100 more aid trucks to enter Gaza today,” a spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian office announced.
“We have requested and received approval for more trucks to enter today, many more than were approved yesterday,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office, shared at a Geneva press briefing. When asked for specifics, he noted that the figure was “around 100.”
This development follows an 11-week Israeli blockade during which Israel permitted just nine trucks of aid to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday. According to Laerke, however, only five of those trucks made it into Gaza.
“The next step is to collect them, and then they will be distributed through the existing system, the one that has proven itself,” said Laerke, noting that the trucks contained baby food and nutritional products for children.
It has been reported that malnutrition rates in Gaza have seen an increase during the Israeli blockade. The significance becomes clear when we consider the statement by a health official at the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA. “I have data until the end of April and it shows malnutrition on the rise,” Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health, stated. “And then the worry is that if the current food shortage continues, it will exponentially increase, and then get beyond our control.”
This raises important questions about the future well-being of the people in Gaza, particularly if food shortages persist.
