UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said that restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime continue to choke off humanitarian relief to Gaza.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Haq said, “One month into the ceasefire, efforts to ramp up aid are still being held back by red tape, ongoing bans on key humanitarian partners, too few crossings and routes, and insecurity that persists despite the ceasefire.”
He noted that in several areas, UN teams “still have to coordinate every movement in advance with the Israeli authorities.”
According to Haq, the regime allowed only two out of eight aid convoys to pass freely, while “four were impeded on the ground — including one that was delayed for 10 hours before the team finally received a green light to move.”
Despite these restrictions, Haq said the UN and its partners are “seizing every opportunity to expand operations” and deliver aid to civilians trapped under the blockade.
When asked about the refusal to open more crossings, he placed the responsibility squarely on Tel Aviv.
“Well, the holdup is on the Israeli side. We’ve been asking them and trying to coordinate with them to get more crossings opened, but they still have not done so,” he said.
Since October 2023, the Israeli regime’s genocidal assault on Gaza has killed more than 69,000 people and injured over 170,600, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.