Israeli restrictions and damaged infrastructure continue to restrict aid deliveries to starving Palestinians
News Desk - The Cradle
"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the scale-up of humanitarian operations continues under the ceasefire, but remains constrained by ongoing restrictions and other impediments," UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Israel has repeatedly blocked aid convoys from traveling along the Morag Corridor and Salah Ad Deen Road, forcing convoys instead to use the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt before moving north through the heavily damaged Coastal Road.
"This road is narrow, damaged, and heavily congested. Movement remained slower, even after the World Food Program repaired the road. Additional crossings and internal routes are needed to expand collections and response," Haq said.
"This further adds to the challenges already facing humanitarian aid delivery, including due to the ongoing closure of all crossings directly into northern Gaza since 12 September," a UN statement added.
Israeli forces have also blocked multiple aid missions.
In the week ending 28 October, humanitarian organizations planned 64 missions, of which eight were cancelled, 12 were impeded, and two were denied by Israeli authorities.
In response, 41 humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza issued a press release calling on Israel to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire and international law and allow the free flow of aid.
The press release stated that between 10 and 21 October, 17 international NGOs have had urgent shipments of aid, including water, food, tents, and medical supplies, denied entry into Gaza on the grounds that the organizations are "not authorized" to deliver humanitarian aid to the strip.
The organizations urged Israel to end the registration system it introduced in March 2025 and to allow aid to move freely and without restriction.
Nearly $50 million in humanitarian supplies remain stuck at crossings and warehouses, the organizations said.
Israel imposed a new blockade on Gaza in March after breaking a ceasefire reached in January.
In May, the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating in Gaza, taking control of aid delivery away from the UN. Thousands of Palestinians were killed at GHF sites by Israeli troops and US mercenaries.
With the ceasefire in place, the GHF is now in talks with US and Israeli officials about a potential new post-war role in the enclave, the Financial Times (FT) reported on 23 October.
US-Israeli businessman and GHF founder Michael Eisenberg is in discussions with senior US military officers and officials at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), a multinational body established by US President Donald Trump to monitor the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The GHF is proposing to continue its role of operating food distribution centers in Gaza, which remains under Israeli military control, managing logistics hubs for reconstruction, or supplying aid to other foreign aid groups.
The shadowy foundation is seeking to continue, but “under a different cover,” sources familiar
Nearly 3,000 Palestinians were killed by live fire while seeking food from GHF sites, which have been described as “aid traps.”
On 17 October, Israeli media reported that over the previous two months, the Israeli army had buried or burned more than a thousand truckloads worth of humanitarian aid after it had entered Gaza, including food, medical supplies, and bottled water.
"We buried everything in the ground, and we even burned some of the things," said an army source. "Even today, there are thousands of packages waiting in the sun, and if they are not transferred to the Gaza Strip, we will be forced to destroy them too."
The humanitarian aid had spoiled while standing for many weeks on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing due to Israeli restrictions on entry.
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