Israel Obstructs Gaza Aid Shipments

The United Nations reported that Israel denied or impeded nearly half of coordinated humanitarian aid movements into the Gaza Strip between February 6 and 11, despite a US-backed ceasefire agreement. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated that humanitarian operations continue to face significant impediments. Shipments from Jordan are restricted to routes requiring multiple offloading and reloading points, while aid from Egypt via the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing faces high return rates, with less than 60% of consignments offloaded. Of nearly 50 coordinated movements, five were denied outright, and 11 encountered significant delays. UN teams are in discussions with Israel to resolve these constraints. The ceasefire, in effect since October 10, has seen hundreds of violations by Israeli forces, resulting in 603 Palestinian deaths and 1,618 injuries.