UN: Aid to Gaza is insufficient, more crossings must be opened

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stressed that aid reaching the Gaza Strip is severely insufficient, calling for the opening of more crossings.

During a press conference held Tuesday at the United Nations Office in Geneva, he indicated that UN activities in Gaza are ongoing and that there are staff working there.

He explained that the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip allows the entry of very small amounts of humanitarian aid.

The UN spokesman warned that recent reports from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Aid Fund could distract from urgent humanitarian priorities in Gaza.

He cited these priorities as ensuring sustainable access to aid, providing safe conditions, and expediting approvals for emergency supplies.

"We were not always able to access the aid that entered due to the unsafe routes designated by the Israeli authorities," Lerk said.

He stated that the aid currently entering Gaza is "very insufficient."

He continued, "We need to open more crossings. We need all kinds of aid, not just the aid that Israel selectively allows in."

Almost daily since May 21, Hebrew media outlets have been claiming that aid has entered the Gaza Strip, amid denials from the government office.

The Gaza Strip needs 500 trucks of urgent relief, medical, and food aid daily, as well as a minimum of 50 trucks of life-saving fuel amid the worsening famine, according to a previous statement from the government office.

With full American support, Israel has been committing genocidal crimes in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving approximately 177,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.