The Israeli agency responsible for coordinating the inspection and delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, has once again pointed fingers at the United Nations for the failure to distribute aid efficiently. In a recent post on Wednesday, COGAT highlighted that Israel has been actively sending aid into Gaza, with an impressive 1200 trucks entering the region in just three days, averaging 400 trucks per day. The agency expressed frustration that 500 trucks filled with aid are currently waiting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, awaiting pickup by UN agencies.
COGAT's message to the UN was clear: urging them to focus on aid distribution and to refrain from blaming Israel for what they termed as 'colossal failures.' The post was accompanied by a photograph showing a significant volume of aid awaiting collection at Kerem Shalom, one of the main crossing points for aid alongside Rafah.
Disputes between Israel and UN agencies regarding delays and disruptions in aid delivery to Gaza are not uncommon. COGAT reported that a record number of aid trucks, 468 in total, entered Gaza on Tuesday, following 419 trucks on Monday, marking the highest daily influx of aid trucks since the conflict began.
In response, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated earlier in the week that Israeli-imposed access restrictions and denials in March continued to hinder humanitarian operations in Gaza. The main UN aid agency in Gaza also revealed a grim statistic, reporting that 176 of its staff members have lost their lives since October 7.
