Israeli authorities say UN failure responsible for 600 aid trucks just sitting at Gaza border

TEL AVIV: Currently, 600 trucks worth of humanitarian aid for people in Gaza are waiting to be picked up and distributed, the majority by UN aid agencies, reported the Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip).

“Other organizations and entities are able to pick up aid from Kerem Shalom (crossing with Israel), yet the UN, despite many measures we’ve taken to assist with the collection, is still not up to par”, charged COGAT.

“We’ve expanded the Gate 96 option (the new northern crossing for aid to be sent into Gaza) , and we continuously urge the UN aid agencies to use this and upscale the number of trucks entering Gaza through this gate.,” it added.

Aid trucks waiting to get through the Israeli checkpoint between the south and the north. The trucks are headed to provide aid to people in Gaza city and the north areas. pic.twitter.com/oOFnfQRbI3

— MoTaz (@azaizamotaz9) November 25, 2023

COGAT also said that it has coordinated pick-up at various hours, expanded routes to improve traffic to the crossings, set up a tactical pause along the route leading to and from Kerem Shalom, and much more.

“Aid needs to be picked and distributed to Gazans in need”, it declared, adding that over the last 24 hours, 47 humanitarian aid trucks were transferred to northern Gaza, including 41 from the Ashdod Port via the Erez Crossing and 6 tankers of fuel for humanitarian purposes.

Additionally, COGAT facilitated a UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund) mission to northern Gaza with vaccines and logistical equipment for the vaccination campaign. “We will continue facilitating humanitarian aid and responses across Gaza”, said COGAT. (ANI/TPS)