Israelis claim they will allow 100 aid trucks daily to Gaza
3 Min Read
A US official says that "Israel" will allow 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, including a limited amount of fuel.
-
Palestinian trucks lined up on the Gaza Strip of the border with Egypt to take humanitarian aid In Rafah on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (AP)
A senior US government official announced on Sunday that “Israel has approved the daily entry of 100 aid trucks into Gaza,” through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The US official said that the aid will include a limited amount of fuel to be distributed by the United Nations to the main health facilities in Gaza, adding that the goal is “to prevent Hamas from accessing any of this fuel.”
He added that there are 10 aid trucks currently ready to cross into Gaza, while the occupation forces inspect 40 others that are expected to cross at a later time.
Earlier today, an additional 40 trucks were scheduled to make their way into Gaza, according to United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Palestine Representative and Director Samer Abdel Jaber. However, he highlighted that the 40 trucks were nowhere close to enough for what was needed in the strip.
During an interview with CNN, he noted " We have also to note that that’s not enough compared to the soaring needs … We need more than that."
Abdel Jaber explained that one million people require forty trucks of food every day, while two million require 100 trucks.
The trucks transporting food, water, and medication are not carrying gasoline, he added, adding that the weekend power outage in Gaza constituted a "major challenge" for WFP.
Read next: UN 'on its knees' pleading for Gaza aid
On Saturday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry divulged that "Israeli obstacles", such as truck inspection processes, were slowing the timely delivery of supplies to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border between Egypt and besieged Gaza.
A ministry spokesperson stated that "the trucks must be inspected at the Israeli Nitzana crossing before they head to the Rafah crossing on a journey that takes a distance of 100 km (62 miles) before they actually enter the Rafah crossing, which causes obstacles that significantly delay the arrival of aid."
Since the Israelis imposed a blockade on Gaza, the Rafah gate, which is administered by Egypt but does not border the Israeli-occupied part of Palestine, has become the major point of humanitarian distribution.
Before the fighting, roughly 500 trucks per day crossed into Gaza, but in recent days, just 12 lorries per day have entered, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Earlier this month, reports confirmed on October 23 that the third convoy of aid trucks had crossed the Rafah border from Egypt to deliver to Gaza.
This came after the first 20 aid trucks crossed into Gaza on October 21, and another 17 entered on October 22, bringing the total to 37 trucks so far.
