Israel Says More Aid Is Entering Gaza, but Relief Groups Warn of Bottlenecking

The Israeli authorities have asserted that more aid trucks are entering the Gaza Strip, but humanitarian groups warn that bottlenecks are preventing relief supplies from reaching the most vulnerable people in the war-ridden territory.

Cogat, the Israeli security agency responsible for coordinating aid deliveries into Gaza, has said roughly 300 trucks of relief supplies and commercial goods have entered Gaza daily in recent days. And the price of some food items in markets has fallen significantly.

But United Nations officials said many trucks were still being intercepted by desperate people and gunmen before reaching their destination. Other obstacles, they said, are the limited routes into Gaza and long waits at Israeli checkpoints.

“There has been a slight improvement, but it hasn’t been sufficient to change the overall outcome,” said Olga Cherevko, a Gaza-based spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In recent weeks, Israel has been pressured by allies to address growing hunger in Gaza after months of restrictions on the entry of aid. The Israeli government has responded by saying it would allow more trucks into the territory.

Last week, an Israeli security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military rules, said Israel was willing to facilitate the entry of 500 trucks per day and was trying to open more routes to let the United Nations and international organizations deliver relief.