Israel said that five UN trucks entered the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday, May 19, the first aid to be admitted in an easing of a total blockade imposed on March 2. The United Nations said it was a "drop in the ocean" of what is needed.
"Five UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food for babies, were transferred today via the Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip," said a statement from COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.
Twenty-two donor countries issued a joint statement urging Israel to "allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately" after the partial lifting of its blockade on the territory. The foreign ministers of the countries, including France and Germany, said that "whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid," the population of the war-ravaged territory "faces starvation" and "must receive the aid they desperately need."
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the move by Israel but said Israeli authorities were only allowing in limited aid after 11 weeks of completely blockading the war-torn enclave. "Today, nine of our trucks were cleared to enter, via the Kerem Shalom crossing," he said in a statement. Israel said five aid trucks had so far entered Gaza.
"Given ongoing bombardment and acute hunger levels, the risks of looting and insecurity are significant," he added. "The limited quantities of aid now being allowed into Gaza are of course no substitute for unimpeded access to civilians in such dire need."