A truck loaded with aid is seen at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, on its Israeli side in this handout image obtained by Reuters on May 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit: via Reuters
Two days after aid began entering Gaza, the desperately needed new supplies have not yet reached people in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations.
Experts have warned that many of Gaza’s 2 million residents are at high risk of famine.
Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel in an attempt to pressure the Hamas militant group.
U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time.
After the first five trucks entered Monday, dozens more began entering via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday afternoon, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said. The aid included flour for bakeries, food for soup kitchens, baby food and medical supplies. The UN humanitarian agency said it is prioritizing baby formula in the first shipments.
Mr. Marmorstein said Israel would allow dozens of aid trucks per day – far less than the 600 that entered daily during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March.
The United Nations humanitarian agency received approval for about 100 trucks to enter Gaza, spokesman Jens Laerke said.
Published – May 21, 2025 02:40 am IST