The quality of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is as important as its quantity, and there is an urgent need for unrestricted access to basic supplies, according to UNICEF's top emergency coordinator.
Palestinians in Gaza need tents, plastic sheeting, and clean drinking water, as well as fuel and equipment, to produce and distribute water, and pipes to repair wells and desalination plants, Hamish Young said in an interview with Anadolu on Friday.
Speaking while waiting with his team near the Kissufim crossing, east of Deir al Balah, Young added: “We have 50 trucks waiting for permission to move, carrying medical and hygiene supplies essential to saving children’s lives.”
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Israel has allowed 653 aid trucks into Gaza, far below the 600-truck daily quota stipulated in the agreement, according to Gaza government media office director Ismail Thawabta.
Israel permitted 173 aid trucks to enter on Sunday, including three carrying cooking gas and six with fuel, but no trucks were allowed in on Monday or Tuesday. The flow resumed on Wednesday with 480 trucks.
As of Friday evening, Gaza’s media office had not yet released figures for Thursday and Friday, saying the numbers would be announced Saturday.
Catastrophic situation
Young described Gaza’s situation as “catastrophic,” saying that nearly all hospitals have been destroyed or severely damaged and that residents face extreme shortages of food and shelter.
He said UNICEF urgently needs large quantities of food to address the effects of the famine in northern Gaza.
“There is an urgent need to do everything possible to bring in all the supplies I’m talking about,” he said.
Palestinians in Gaza have faced a deepening humanitarian crisis and widespread famine since Israel’s genocide began on October 8, 2023.
The bombardment and blockade have devastated civilian infrastructure and collapsed the health system.
“The children of Gaza desperately need this support,” Young said.
“We cannot sit and wait for supplies to come through.”
Trump’s truce plan
Under the ceasefire terms, 600 aid trucks, including goods from private suppliers, are supposed to enter Gaza daily, he said.
Young noted that Gaza also needs about 50 fuel trucks each day, along with cooking gas, which he called “essential for daily life.”
He emphasised that safe access across Gaza is vital for distributing aid. “We need freedom of movement throughout Gaza to reach the most vulnerable children, their mothers, and families caring for them,” he said.
Israel has kept Gaza’s border crossings completely closed since March 2, blocking food, medicine, and other life essentials. Thousands of aid trucks remain stalled on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing as Israel continues to prevent its reopening, linking it to the return of the remaining bodies of Israeli hostages.
The Gaza ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
