Israel says UN should organize more convoys for north Gaza

Israel says UN should organize more convoys for north Gaza
1 / 2
A truck carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip waits at the inspection area at the Kerem Shalom crossing, in southern Israel, on Mar. 14, 2024. (Reuters)
Israel says UN should organize more convoys for north Gaza
2 / 2
A man operates a forklift by a truck carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, on Mar. 14, 2024. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 14 March 2024
Follow

Israel says UN should organize more convoys for north Gaza

Israel says UN should organize more convoys for north Gaza
  • “If the UN wants to see more aid in north Gaza, it should coordinate more convoys,” said Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT
  • “The trucks that are rejected are sent back for repackaging because they contain... materials that Hamas can use for their terrorist activities”

KEREM SHALOM, Israel: Israel on Thursday defended its policies on admitting trucks into Gaza, calling on the United Nations to send more convoys of aid to the war-ravaged territory.
“If the UN wants to see more aid in north Gaza, it should coordinate more convoys,” said Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT, a defense ministry body governing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Goren also said 99 percent of aid trucks sent to Gaza were “approved,” pushing back on reports by the UN and NGOs that cumbersome Israeli inspections are blocking food and other essentials.
“The trucks that are rejected are sent back for repackaging because they contain... materials that Hamas can use for their terrorist activities,” he told a press conference at the inspection terminal at the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
“The issue is not with our inspection, but with the distribution capabilities of the international organizations.”
Asked about Goren’s claims, Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), told AFP that “the issue is with the Israeli authorities not allowing enough aid in or commercial supplies.”
Touma, whose agency coordinates much of the aid distribution inside Gaza, said Israeli authorities control the number of trucks that go in and the inspection process.
Aid workers say slow inspections and opaque rules on which items are allowed to enter Gaza have held up the arrival of aid in the Hamas-run territory, where the health ministry has reported 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration in recent weeks, most of them children.
Access to the north, where needs are greatest, is further complicated by Israeli checkpoints, they say.
Speaking from a parking lot where aid trucks are inspected, Goren pointed to the Gaza side and said aid was piling up there, although reporters were not given access to the Palestinian side to verify his claims.
Humanitarian aid entering Gaza by land mostly comes from Egypt, is inspected at the Kerem Shalom or Nitzana checkpoints, then unloaded in Gaza so Palestinian trucks can distribute it.
Delays and obstacles at land crossings have prompted countries to pursue other options for aid delivery, including airdrops and a maritime route from Cyprus.
Goren on Thursday praised the diversification of avenues to bring aid into Gaza and said his agency had facilitated more than 35 airdrops in the north.
He also said that, earlier this week, six trucks were able to enter through a new crossing two kilometers south of Gaza City, known as Gate 96.
The first ship bringing aid to Gaza from Cyprus departed this week.
Aid groups nonetheless stress that overland delivery is far more efficient than air and sea alternatives.


Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce — UN

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce — UN
Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce — UN

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce — UN
  • On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza
  • 42-day truce is meant to enable surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months

UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than 900 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday, the United Nations said, exceeding the daily target outlined in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Humanitarian aid continues to move into the Gaza Strip as part of a prepared surge to increase support to survivors,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said.
“Today, 915 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to information received through engagement with Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.”
Throughout conflict in Gaza, the UN has denounced obstacles restricting the flow and distribution of aid into the battered Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza.
An initial 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months of war.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day.


Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32

Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32
Updated 21 January 2025
Follow

Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32

Fire at Turkiye ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32
  • The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m.
  • The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170km northwest of Ankara

ISTANBUL: A fire engulfed a hotel at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkiye early Tuesday, killing 10 people died and injuring 32 others, the interior minister said.
The blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3:27 a.m. (0027 GMT), Ali Yerlikaya said on X.
Private NTV broadcaster said three people died after jumping from the hotel’s windows.
The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the capital Ankara.
The fire, which is believed to have started in the restaurant at around midnight, spread quickly. It was not immediately clear what caused it.
Television footage showed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky with a snowcapped mountain behind the hotel.
Part of it backs onto a cliff, making it harder for firefighters to tackle the blaze.
Local media said 237 people were staying at the hotel, where the occupancy rate was between 80 and 90 percent due to the school holidays.
Those evacuated were rehoused in nearby hotels.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said six prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.
The health, interior and culture ministers are expected to visit the site later in the day.


Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold

Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
Updated 21 January 2025
Follow

Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold

Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
  • Donald Trump however believes Hamas had been ‘weakened’ in the war

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.

Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, “I’m not confident.”

“That’s not our war; it’s their war. But I’m not confident,” Trump said.

Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been “weakened” in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” Trump said.

The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a “fantastic” reconstruction if the plan moves ahead.

“It’s a phenomenal location on the sea — best weather. You know, everything’s good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it,” he said.

Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.

The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.

Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.

In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.


Syria’s de facto leader congratulates Trump, looks forward to improving relations

 Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. (AFP)
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. (AFP)
Updated 21 January 2025
Follow

Syria’s de facto leader congratulates Trump, looks forward to improving relations

 Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. (AFP)
  • In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance

CAIRO: Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.
The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiralled into civil war.
In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.

 

 


Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN
Updated 21 January 2025
Follow

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN

Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN
  • The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day

UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than 900 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday, the United Nations said, exceeding the daily target outlined in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Humanitarian aid continues to move into the Gaza Strip as part of a prepared surge to increase support to survivors,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said.
“Today, 915 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to information received through engagement with Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.”
Throughout conflict in Gaza, the UN has denounced obstacles restricting the flow and distribution of aid into the battered Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza.
An initial 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months of war.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day.