Israeli authorities on Monday reported the highest number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza in a single day since the start of the war over six months ago.
According to the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), 419 aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Strip, up from the previous high of 322 on Sunday.
Additionally, 258 packages carrying hundreds and thousands of meals were airdropped over Gaza, said COGAT.
COGAT is a unit within the Israeli Defense Ministry that coordinates civilian issues between the Israeli government, military, international organizations and the Palestinian Authority.
The announcement comes amid increasing U.S. and international pressure to increase the amount of aid flowing into Gaza.
On Monday, U.S. State Department Spokesman Matt Miller welcomed the “initial positive steps over the past few days” in this regard, emphasizing that they “must be just the starting point for a sustained Israeli commitment to ensure that the people of Gaza have their basic needs met.”
Miller noted that Israel had “agreed to open a new northern crossing, which could be operational this week and would represent an important step in delivering assistance directly to northern Gaza, where we know the humanitarian situation is most severe. The Israeli cabinet also approved the use of Ashdod as a port of entry for relief, which if implemented could significantly facilitate the flow of assistance,” he added.
The more than 300 aid trucks that entered Gaza on Sunday “represents a significant improvement, but it is important not just that we see the daily number continue to grow, but that it be sustained over time,” said Miller. “Our hope is that by later this week, 350 trucks will enter Gaza each day, and we are working hard across the United States government to make that happen.”
Over 250,000 tons of food in more than 12,000 trucks have entered the Strip since Hamas’s Oct. massacre. Tens of thousands of tons of shelter and medical equipment, water and other aid have also entered, as well as fuel and cooking gas.
