UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths is heading to the Jordanian capital, Amman, tomorrow, Wednesday, to discuss the possibility of opening the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza from Israel. Griffiths stated in a UN briefing in Geneva today, “We said from the beginning that we need more than one crossing.” He added, “The opportunity to use the Kerem Shalom crossing must be discussed, and we will address this matter in Amman.” A Western diplomat indicated that the possibility of opening the Kerem Shalom crossing is currently not viable, explaining that Israel does not want to open the crossing due to its forces being present in the area.
Since the fragile ceasefire came into effect last week, about 200 trucks of aid have been transported to Gaza daily, but the amount of this aid is entirely insufficient to meet the needs of the population in the enclave. Griffiths said, “We know that more humanitarian aid needs to be delivered to Gaza. We know how to increase it, but there are constraints beyond our control.” He added, “We know that the people of Gaza need much more from us.”
The UN has intensified its humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza since the ceasefire and has sent assistance to areas in the northern region that have been largely isolated for weeks due to Israeli bombardment. Griffiths said, “We need reliable and scalable mechanisms to deliver aid that includes all partners in the humanitarian field, including NGOs.” He stated, “We are working on improving the prioritization and advocating for additional entry points and the resumption of private sector operations.”
