Israel says the UN failed to collect aid from 170 trucks and the US aid hubs deliver food in Gaza
On Monday, 170 aid trucks carrying food, medicine and pharmaceuticals crossed into Gaza via Israel’s Kerem Shalom Crossing, Israeli authorities confirmed, amid growing criticism of the humanitarian situation inside the Strip.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees the transfer of goods into Gaza, said it will “continue to facilitate humanitarian aid while ensuring it doesn’t reach Hamas.” The delivery formed part of a broader effort by Israel and its partners to bypass traditional United Nations routes in favour of direct aid distribution.
According to Israeli data, since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, more than 1.35 million tons of food and 45,000 tons of medical supplies have been delivered to Gaza on over 63,000 trucks. Shelter materials accounting for another 165,000 tons have also been transferred.
But tensions have flared between Israeli officials and the United Nations over competing narratives on aid delays. COGAT pushed back forcefully against a claim made by Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top emergency relief coordinator, who alleged that 10,000 aid trucks were waiting to enter Gaza.
“There aren’t 10,000 trucks waiting,” COGAT said. “What there is are hundreds of trucks’ worth of aid the UN hasn’t picked up from the Gazan side after we provided safe distribution routes.”
COGAT accused the UN of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis by failing to act on available aid, stating, “You are using a humanitarian difficulty and causing a worse one—one that isn’t serving your ‘humanitarian principles.’”
Fletcher also came under fire last week for a now-corrected claim on BBC Radio 4 that 14,000 infants in Gaza were at imminent risk of death. The BBC clarified that the figure referred instead to children at risk of malnutrition over a full year. Despite the correction, the original claim had already been cited in Parliament and widely reported in media.
In a move signalling growing frustration with UN aid channels, the first of eight U.S.-backed aid distribution centres opened in Gaza on Monday. According to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, three more will come online this week, with four additional centres planned. These hubs are situated in secured areas—three along the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza, and one south of the Netzarim Corridor near Gaza City.
Each distribution centre is surrounded by earthen berms, equipped with truck entry routes, and guarded from afar by the Israel Defense Forces. American contractors on the ground will distribute aid directly to civilians, bypassing Hamas and international intermediaries.
According to Israeli military sources, each aid package is designed to support a five-member family for five days. Each distribution site is expected to serve around 300,000 people. The initiative forms part of a broader Israeli-American plan to circumvent the United Nations’ struggling distribution systems, which have been hampered by logistical bottlenecks, coordination failures, and disputes over access.
While the effort marks a shift towards more direct delivery, questions remain about how long-term needs will be met in a population facing widespread displacement, hunger, and limited access to clean water or healthcare.
Meanwhile, both Israeli and international observers will be watching closely to see if these new mechanisms ease Gaza’s deepening crisis or further entrench the distrust between aid agencies and the region’s military authorities.
