UN: Around 90 aid trucks ‘dispatched’ into Gaza

Kathmandu: The UN has said it dispatched around 90 trucks carrying aid into Gaza, as international pressure intensified over Israel’s renewed offensive and blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The first aid distribution in Gaza since early March came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to a “temporary ceasefire”, but reaffirmed the military aimed to bring the entire territory under its control.

Spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres,  Stephane Dujarric from Kerem Shalom said 3 days after Israel announced it would allow in limited aid, the United Nations “collected around 90 truckloads of goods from the  crossing and dispatched them into Gaza.

The development came hours after Israeli troops fired what the military called “warning shots” near a delegation of foreign diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank, triggering global condemnation.

In Gaza, the Hamas government media office reported the arrival of 87 aid trucks, which it said were allocated to international and local organisations to meet “urgent humanitarian needs”. Netanyahu said it was necessary to “avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action” in Gaza.

Palestinians have been scrambling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation, with Israel’s blockade leading to critical food and medicine shortages. Israel meanwhile kept up its bombardment, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting  on Wednesday that bodies of 82 people were taken to hospitals across the territory over the previous 24 hours.

RSS/AFP