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aid distribution in Gaza The amounts are falling well short of what was sought under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, according to an Associated Press analysis. Israel Army statistics.
Under the October ceasefire agreement between Israel and HamasIsrael agreed to allow 600 trucks of aid into Gaza each day. But an average of only 459 trucks a day have entered Gaza between Oct. 12, when aid began flowing again, and Dec. 7, according to an AP analysis of data by COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of coordinating aid entry.
By all accounts, aid to Gaza has dwindled
COGAT said about 18,000 trucks of food aid had entered Gaza between the ceasefire taking effect and Sunday. It says this figure represents 70% of all aid that has arrived in the region since the ceasefire.
This means COGAT estimates that a total of more than 25,700 trucks of aid have entered Gaza – under the terms of the ceasefire, 33,600 trucks should have entered as of Sunday.
Throughout the conflict, the United Nations and aid groups have stated that the amount of aid entering Gaza is much less than COGAT claims.
The UN says only 6,545 trucks have been unloaded at Gaza crossings between the ceasefire and December 7, the equivalent of about 113 trucks a day. This is according to its online database. The UN figures do not include aid trucks sent bilaterally by organizations that do not work through the UN network.
A Hamas document provided to the AP on Saturday put the number of aid trucks entering at 7,333.
This week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stressed the “desperate” need for more aid to enter Gaza, saying Israeli restrictions on aid have hampered recovery efforts.
Aid groups say food shortages persist in Gaza
Humanitarian groups say the lack of aid has had a severe impact on many of Gaza’s 2 million residents, most of whom were forcibly displaced by the war. Food shortages persist as the Palestinian territory struggles to recover from famine that affected parts of Gaza during the war. According to a recent UNICEF report, starving mothers in Gaza are giving birth to malnourished children, some of whom have died in hospital. As winter rains increase, displaced families living in tents have been left exposed to the elements and without supplies to deal with flooding and the bitter cold.
“Given continuing constraints, the need far exceeds the capacity of the humanitarian community to respond,” the agency wrote in a report on Monday. “These barriers include insecurity, customs clearance challenges, delays and refusals of cargo at crossings, and limited routes available to transport humanitarian supplies within Gaza.”
Israel temporarily halted all aid entry at least once in response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas. Israel said Hamas had failed to return the bodies of the hostages within the time frame established by the ceasefire, while Hamas said it struggled to find the bodies because of the destruction left by Israel in the Palestinian territory.
Hamas has also accused Israel of violating ceasefire terms due to the slow flow of aid, the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, and ongoing deadly attacks on Gaza.
Dispute over the remains of the final mortgage
Meanwhile, Israel says it is demanding the return of Ran Gwili, the last hostage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told the AP on Wednesday that Gvili’s remains must be returned, a condition of the first phase of a ceasefire.
“Once phase one is completed, phase two will begin,” the office said in a statement.
Hamas militants and Red Cross troops continued to search the ruins of Gaza City for the last bodies this week, while the militant group Islamic Jihad Claimed that he has handed over the body of the last hostage into his possession.
On Tuesday, Hamas called for more international pressure on Israel to open key border crossings, end deadly attacks on the territory and allow more aid into the Strip.
The latest street surge over allegations marked what regional leaders described as a critical time for the ceasefire agreement, as mediators seek to push the ceasefire into its second, more complex phase.
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Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report Jerusalem And reporter Sam Mednick contributed from Tel Aviv.