Gaza, MINA – After nearly 80 days of a complete blockade, Israel will allow just nine humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, home to 2.4 million people, Israeli media reported on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.
Ghassan Alian, head of the Israeli army’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), told Army Radio that the trucks carrying humanitarian supplies including baby food are set to enter Gaza in the coming hours. The aid will be delivered to warehouses operated by international organizations for distribution to Palestinians.
Since March 2, Israel has kept all crossings into Gaza closed to food, medicine, and aid, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. According to the World Bank, nearly the entire population of Gaza is now dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Sunday that the limited aid entry is meant to prevent an impending famine that could undermine Israel’s ongoing military campaign, Operation Gideon’s Chariot currently focused on northern and southern Gaza.
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However, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the move is temporary, expected to last about a week. Aid distribution will be limited mostly to southern Gaza and overseen by the Israeli military with operations run by US security contractors.
Since launching its military offensive in October 2023, the Israeli occupation army has killed over 53,300 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. The campaign has drawn international condemnation and legal scrutiny. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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