UN says Israeli impediments continue to block Gaza aid access

The United Nations said Monday that Israeli restrictions continue to block the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, a month after the ceasefire took effect.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a news conference that "one month into the ceasefire, efforts to ramp up aid are still being held back by red tape, ongoing bans on key humanitarian partners, too few crossings and routes, and insecurity that persists despite the ceasefire."

"In some areas, our teams still have to coordinate every movement in advance with the Israeli authorities," he said, adding that Israel facilitated only two out of eight aid attempts entirely and "four were impeded on the ground — including one that was delayed for 10 hours before the team finally received a green light to move," he added.

Haq said the UN and its partners are "seizing every opportunity to expand operations" despite the continuing challenges.

Asked about the holdup in opening more border crossings, he said the obstacle lies with Israel.

"Well, the holdup is on the Israeli side. We've been asking them and trying to coordinate with them to get more crossings opened, but they still have not done so," he said.

Since October 2023, the war in Gaza has killed more than 69,000 people and injured more than 170,600, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

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