Israel will facilitate the entry of "dozens of aid trucks" from UN agencies in the Gaza Strip on a daily basis in the coming days, a spokesperson from the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry told Euronews on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will allow the entrance of UN aid trucks after 11 weeks of blockade. On Monday, nine trucks were cleared to enter the Strip.
When giving the update, the spokesperson informed Euronews that around twelve trucks were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday as well.
"The immediate deliveries encompass flour for the principal bakeries run by international bodies, provisions to the central kitchens managed by these entities, as well as infant formula and medical supplies," stated the spokesperson.
As Euronews had earlier reported, Gaza was teetering on the edge of famine as significant aid organizations depleted their food supplies in recent weeks, stated UN agencies operating in the region.
In early May, the International Court of Justice conducted a series of hearings lasting one week regarding Israel’s duty to “make sure and assist” with providing humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in the region.
During the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March, some 600 aid trucks entered Gaza each day.
On March 2nd, Israel halted the entrance of assistance into Gaza and then resumed its military operations on March 18th. This was an attempt to exert pressure on Hamas to release the remaining captives seized during their assault on October 7, 2023.
The ban also prohibited engagement with UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, alleging infiltration by Hamas, an assertion that the United Nations relief organization firmly rejects.
The Israeli administration has frequently charged Hamas with managing the distribution of aid and benefiting from it, all while letting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip go hungry.
In late April, Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the militant organization should lose all rights to receive any humanitarian assistance intended for Gaza. He alleged that Israel was providing this aid despite enforcing a blockade.
The obstruction of assistance into Gaza faced criticism from the global community, with several EU countries, along with Canada, the UK, and the EU as an entity, voicing their disapproval.
In a joint statement on Monday, France, the UK and Canada said the situation in Gaza was "intolerable" and criticised the initial proposal by the Israeli government to allow a basic quantity of food as "inadequate".