GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. humanitarian officials said on Tuesday aid flows into Gaza had increased significantly since a ceasefire deal took effect on January 19, including for items such as tents that had previously faced Israeli restrictions.
Hamas announced on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of the truce accord, raising the risk of reigniting the 15-month conflict.
It said that such alleged violations included stopping humanitarian aid from entering Gaza as stipulated in the deal, such as 60,000 mobile houses and 200,000 tents as well as heavy machinery to remove rubble and fuel.
When asked about current aid deliveries into Gaza, U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke told a Geneva press briefing: “We have been able to scale up humanitarian operations significantly with food, medical and shelter supplies and other aid during the ceasefire period.”
Earlier this month, aid officials said there were impediments to importing some items like shelter equipment which Israel said had the potential for “dual use” – civilian or military. Palestinians have been appealing for billions of dollars in emergency aid, including for units to house people made homeless by Israeli airstrikes and bombardment.
Israel denies allegations that it has stopped certain supplies including tent poles from entering Gaza on aid trucks.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing the aid deliveries into Gaza, said in a statement sent to Reuters that more than 100,000 tents had entered the coastal enclave since the ceasefire went into effect.
When asked if “dual use” restrictions imposed by Israel are still in place, Laerke deferred to the Israeli authorities.
Edem Wosornu, director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy division, said that although aid supplies had improved since the ceasefire, they fell short of the needs on the ground.
“We can never match the needs right now. Gaza is completely devastated, infrastructure is not where it should be. We will try our best. The trucks are but a drop in the ocean,” she told a gathering of Geneva-based diplomats.
The head of coordination at the International Council for Voluntary Agencies warned at the same meeting that the flow of aid could be jeopardised if all parties do not adhere to the ceasefire pact.
(Reporting by Emma Farge and Olivia Le Poidevin; additional reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem; editing by Mark Heinrich)
