SG Spokesperson hints current UN aid to Gaza is ‘not what was promised’

United Nations

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

New York City, New York- Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, tells reporters that UN aid into Gaza following the agreed-upon ceasefire deal is “not reaching 600 trucks per day.” Six hundred trucks per day, Haq confirmed, was the average flow of UN aid into Gaza during the January ceasefire deal.

As mentioned by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, and the Secretary-General himself, humanitarian aid to assist all of Gaza’s population is available and ready to be deployed. When asked who was responsible for allowing less aid now than during the January ceasefire, Haq stated, “Certainly, we want the Israeli authorities to allow in more trucks and more crossing points.” Nonetheless, Haq added, “We are noticing, however, more UN trucks and commercial trucks going in (relative to before the ceasefire was agreed upon), which is a welcome sign. We want to build on that.”

Mr. Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, echoed Haq’s assertions. Before the Security Council in its open debate on the Palestinian question, Alakbarov stated, “The UN and its humanitarian partners are working to implement its 60-day relief plan. The plan sets out concrete measures to streamline customs, expand access routes and entry of critical items, restore social services, and ensure the safe passage of humanitarian staff.” He added, “Humanitarian partners have scaled up aid delivery to a 46% increase of aid tracked by the UN after the ceasefire.” However, “This is not enough,” Alakbarov said. “Much more still needs to be done. To fully meet our targets and ensure an effective response requires more crossings and functional relief corridors, safe passage for aid workers and civilians, and unrestricted entry of goods and services.”

In its most recent activities, Haq told members of the press, “On Tuesday, 147 UN and partner trucks were offloaded at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings. About two-thirds of the cargo was food aid. Other supplies included diapers, hygiene kits, and tarps for emergency shelter assistance. Also on Tuesday, at least 80 UN-coordinated trucks were collected from the crossings for distribution inside Gaza.” Haq also added a correction to UN data on the ground, mentioning, “According to the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard, 105 trucks from the UN and its partners were offloaded at Kerem Shalom and Kissufim that day, not 263, as we told you yesterday.”

Part of the issue for the miscalculations, Haq alludes, is the availability of monitors within the crossings. The monitors deployed at each crossing are responsible for tracking any and all aid distributed by the UN and its humanitarian partners—critical for data collection and accountability. Haq explained, “We have monitors at one of the spots, Kissufim, but we still need to get monitors deployed through so we can provide more detailed numbers.” Wavering from 150–250 trucks per day, Haq tells reporters, “It is below the number we want to get in, but it is an improvement,” referring to what Alakbarov said about a steadfast 46% increase in UN aid distribution since the ceasefire deal.