ISRAEL FACILITATES ENTRY OF SIX AID TRUCKS INTO NORTHERN GAZA

ISRAEL FACILITATES ENTRY OF SIX AID TRUCKS INTO NORTHERN GAZA

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Six trucks of aid from the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) entered northern Gaza on March 12 through a new land route established by the Israeli military. The convoy, which carried enough food to feed 25,000 people, departed Egypt and traveled north along a military road on Israel’s side of the border before crossing into Gaza. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Affairs in the Territories (COGAT), which supports Israel’s humanitarian efforts, said the deliveries were part of a pilot program designed “to prevent Hamas from taking over the aid.”

Until now, convoys could only reach northern Gaza by entering the strip through Israel’s Kerem Shalom or Egypt’s Rafah crossings in the south and then driving to distribution points. On February 20, the WFP suspended deliveries to the north, citing “safety and security” concerns. However, a spokeswoman for the WFP said the delivery on March 12 proved that “moving food by road is possible” and that the agency is “hoping to scale up.”