The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has called for the daily entry of hundreds of humanitarian and commercial trucks into the Gaza Strip, quickly and without obstacles, to address the escalating humanitarian crisis. Despite Israel's announcement of a tactical ceasefire to facilitate the passage of aid, the entry of trucks remains limited, with Israel allowing only a few to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing east of Rafah, while the sector needs at least 600 trucks daily to meet the basic needs of more than two million Palestinians.

The UN office reported that the amount of aid that has entered Gaza is insufficient, and obstacles continue to hinder the delivery of essential supplies, especially fuel, which is vital for the continuation of humanitarian operations, including the operation of hospitals and relief trucks, as well as water desalination and sewage operations. The UN team managed to collect about 200,000 liters of fuel on Monday, but the quantities that entered during the past week did not exceed 29,000 liters, which is inadequate to meet the urgent needs of the sector.

In a press conference in Geneva, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA, stated that the gap between the aid that arrives and the enormous needs faced by the population is an imbalanced one, emphasizing that Gaza is on the brink of famine. He explained that the need requires the entry of hundreds of trucks daily, not just weekly, and possibly for years to come, considering that Israel's announcement to allow the entry of commercial goods will not solve the crisis, given their high costs and the rising unemployment rates among the population.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) indicated that the daily need is no less than 600 trucks to meet humanitarian needs, and that most of Gaza's residents suffer from unemployment, which increases reliance on free aid provided by donors, which has already been paid for, but the necessary facilities for its entry are still lacking.

Regarding children, UNICEF confirmed that the food supplies that entered during the past week, which include baby formula and hygiene supplies, represent a tiny fraction of what is needed, and that malnutrition among children in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels, with a rapid spread of acute malnutrition and rising cases of starvation-related deaths. The organization warned that the vast majority of children suffering from acute malnutrition will later die from other causes due to their weakened immunity, and that most of these children cannot access hospitals.

James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, emphasized the need for increased pressure from governments, given the catastrophic nutritional situation faced by children, women, and the elderly, reminding that the bombardment of Gaza since the beginning of the aggression on October 7 has resulted in the martyrdom of more than 211,000 Palestinians, including many children and women, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, and famine that has claimed many lives, amid the ongoing siege and Israeli measures that have led to the spread of famine and the deterioration of humanitarian conditions at an unprecedented rate.