The United Nations is exploring a potential route to deliver aid to northern Gaza, as revealed by a prominent UN relief official on Thursday. This initiative comes as the organization aims to address the dire humanitarian situation affecting hundreds of thousands of civilians stranded in the region.
With at least 576,000 individuals in Gaza, constituting a quarter of the population, on the brink of famine, the UN has been pressing Israel for weeks to utilize a military road adjacent to the Gaza Strip for aid transportation. Encouragingly, Israel has shown increased cooperation in the past week.
According to Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, utilizing this route would allow aid convoys to bypass blocked roads and deteriorating security conditions within the territory.
The UN is set to evaluate the potential new route on Thursday to assess road conditions within Gaza, ensuring the absence of unexploded ordnance and identifying suitable aid distribution points.
McGoldrick emphasized that while other aid avenues, such as the Israeli port of Ashdod and air drops from the United States and Jordan, are helpful, they fail to meet the significant needs, which can only be addressed through overland transportation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government spokesperson, Elon Levy, affirmed that there are no limits to the quantity of aid that can enter Gaza. He urged donors to send aid, assuring them of Israel’s capacity to facilitate the process efficiently.
Levy highlighted Israel’s efforts to develop new strategies, collaborating with the private sector within Gaza to ensure aid reaches those in need. He mentioned that over 12 trucks carrying food supplies were dispatched to northern Gaza on Wednesday in coordination with Israel.
