ISRAEL SAYS AID IS ENTERING
Israel says there is no quantitative limit on food entering Gaza and accuses Hamas, which it has fought for nearly two years, of diverting supplies — accusations the group denies.
COGAT, the Israeli military unit that oversees aid, said humanitarian shipments to northern Gaza continue and that it is working to triple the capacity of the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza.
It said around 300 aid trucks, mostly carrying food, have entered Gaza daily in recent weeks, with fuel also coordinated for water wells and desalination facilities. Asked about reopening Zikim, it said entry would be facilitated “subject to operational considerations”.
The UN, however, said distributing aid remains difficult. The WFP cited congestion on the only road north, while the UN’s humanitarian office OCHA said Israel denied 40 per cent of requested movements to northern Gaza in the 10 days after Zikim’s closure.
“Zikim being closed makes famine, to those who are left behind, even more deadly,” said Ricardo Pires, spokesperson for UN children’s agency UNICEF in Geneva. “Children are literally wasting away in front of our eyes while the world normalises their suffering.”
A global hunger monitor last month confirmed famine in Gaza City and warned it could spread, a finding Israel disputes.
HEALTH FACILITIES SHUTTING DOWN
Treatment for malnutrition is increasingly scarce. The World Health Organization said four health facilities in Gaza City have shut this month, while the UN said some malnutrition centres have also closed.
Hospitals in southern Gaza cannot absorb more patients. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah is at capacity and lacks medicines, supplies and fuel, spokesperson Khalil al-Dakran said.
Mass displacement from the north is also straining food stocks in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, which the WFP warns are at risk of famine.
