Facebook Twitter (X) Instagram Somali Magazine - People's Magazine
The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has called on Israel to immediately open more border crossings into the famine-hit Gaza Strip to allow a large increase in humanitarian aid deliveries. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Fletcher said that while hundreds of relief trucks have been allowed to enter Gaza, thousands more are needed every week to prevent further catastrophe. “We have 190,000 metric tonnes of essential food and nutrition supplies waiting at the borders, and we’re determined to deliver them,” he said.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has deepened after nearly two years of war, which has displaced almost all of its 2.2 million residents. The coastal enclave has been devastated by Israeli air strikes and bombardments that have killed almost 68,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Famine is already reported in the northern regions, and large parts of Gaza City lie in ruins. Despite a ceasefire deal signed on Monday in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort by US President Donald Trump and regional leaders, aid remains slow to reach civilians. The deal includes a provision to resume humanitarian deliveries, but access has been limited and roads remain blocked by debris.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud reported that Israeli forces still control parts of Gaza City and the north. Tanks and armoured vehicles have restricted movement, preventing many displaced families from returning home. “No aid is reaching Gaza City, not even from the 300 trucks that were promised,” Mahmoud said, noting that damaged roads and collapsed buildings continue to block key routes. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have persisted despite the truce, with at least three people killed since dawn on Wednesday and several others wounded.
Israel says it has approved 600 trucks to enter Gaza under the truce, but Fletcher described this as insufficient. He called for the involvement of over 50 international aid groups, including Oxfam and the Norwegian Refugee Council, to ensure that relief reaches all those in need. “We cannot deliver the scale necessary without their presence and engagement,” he said, urging for “unhindered access” for humanitarian operations. Fletcher added that the looting of aid trucks has decreased as deliveries increased, explaining that desperation leads people to seize limited supplies. “The only way to stop that is to deliver aid on a massive scale and help revive local markets,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has offered to resume control of the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border, a move Fletcher welcomed, saying it would allow medical evacuations and faster aid delivery. Talks between the UN, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas are ongoing to reopen the crossing. However, it remained closed on Wednesday as Israel demanded that Hamas hand over the remains of deceased Israeli captives as part of the truce terms. Hamas said it had already transferred all captives in its custody and the bodies it could recover, adding that retrieving the remaining ones requires time and specialized equipment.
President Trump acknowledged the complexity of recovering bodies, calling it a “gruesome process,” while Israeli authorities confirmed receiving two more coffins of captives’ remains through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC confirmed it had facilitated the transfers as a neutral intermediary, urging all parties to continue cooperating to ensure the return of bodies to families. Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 45 more Palestinian bodies held by Israel were returned on Wednesday, bringing the total number handed over through the ICRC to 90.