Israel allows 50 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza

Jerusalem, Oct 16 A total of 50 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Israel said in a statement, a day after the White House threatened to cut military aid if Israel did not increase the flow of assistance into the war-devastated territory.

The humanitarian aid was transferred from Jordan through the Allenby Bridge and into Gaza through the Western Erez crossing, a passage between Israel and northern Gaza that was opened in May for the transfer of humanitarian aid, according to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli government unit overseeing Palestinian territories.

The aid included food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment, the COGAT said, Xinhua news agency reported.

It stated it was committed to "facilitating and easing the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza."

The move came a day after a letter from the White House warned that military aid to Israel would be halted if Israel did not increase the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza within the next 30 days. The letter followed concerns that Israel was violating international humanitarian law in northern Gaza, where famine has spread, according to the United Nations (UN).

Since last October, aid deliveries, including food, water, gas, fuel, and medicine, to Gaza have been heavily restricted, particularly in the north, the UN said.

Source: IANS