UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has criticised delays in delivering essential winter supplies to Gaza, saying waiting for the formation of a new Israeli government was not an acceptable reason to hold up aid.
“Foreign ministers and partners have assured me of support, but also repeatedly said that progress would be hard until after Israeli elections,” Mr Fletcher said in a statement.
“Now we’re told to wait for the formation of a government. In case anyone has any doubt about international humanitarian law, this is not an acceptable excuse, as the international community and Board of Peace have made clear,” he added.
The Board of Peace, which oversees US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, on Monday urged Israel to let in essential aid after heavy rains caused widespread flooding at the weekend.
It urged the Israeli government to “authorise the entry of essential materials for temporary shelter, water and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, drainage and sewage removal and to abide by its commitments under the Sharm El Sheikh Humanitarian Protocol”.
Mr Fletcher said the UN had been warning for months about the need to get winter supplies into Gaza, including durable shelter materials, warm clothes, blankets, bedding and safe heating.
He warned that delays, blockages and funding cuts were putting the population at “great risk”, particularly as harsh weather threatens people without adequate shelter for a fourth consecutive winter since war broke out in October 2023.
He called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened, rather than relying on one, and urged authorities to allow humanitarian organisations to operate and commercial markets to function.
The Israeli government responded to the Board of Peace's call by saying it was “committed” to Mr Trump's peace plan, and blamed the militant group Hamas for the lack of progress in its implementation.
A statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Hamas, which triggered the war with an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people on October 7, 2023, would use “every dual-use item” to bolster its military capabilities.
Aid and humanitarian groups have long criticised Israel's arbitrary categorisation of “dual-use” items, which include torches, wheelchairs, tarpaulins, tent poles and toilets, and how limiting their entry compounds the suffering of Gazan civilians.
The Israeli military agency that co-ordinates aid, Cogat, claimed to have allowed thousands of aid lorries into Gaza, but figures from the UN show a decline in the entry of assistance since January.
On Saturday, Gaza's media office said 70,000 tents had been flooded, with tens of thousands of displaced people affected and some injured. Nine out of 10 of Gaza's population of 2.2 million people have been displaced by the Israeli military's bombardment and ground offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Direct Israeli attacks in Gaza have not stopped despite a truce. Health officials say at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire agreement went into effect in October last year, bringing Gaza's total death toll to more than 74,600 since the war began.
