Israel Restricts gaza Aid amidst Hostage Remains Dispute, Rafah Crossing Remains Closed
Gaza City/United Nations – Israel has begun implementing restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza, citing delays in the return of the remains of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, as the temporary ceasefire continues to be tested.The move comes as the Rafah crossing remains closed, hindering the flow of critical supplies into the besieged enclave.
On Tuesday,Hamas transferred the bodies of several Israeli captives to the Red Cross,which afterward confirmed their arrival in Israel for forensic examination.Though, the Israeli military had earlier accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement regarding the release of the remains. Former U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the delay, stating on his Truth Social platform, “THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!”
Hamas has explained that recovering the bodies is complicated by the unknown locations of where some hostages were held and the extensive destruction caused by Israeli military operations within Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera’s gabriel Elizondo, reporting from the UN, “The headline here is, Israel is already starting to put threats of restricting aid going into Gaza for what they say is the slow work by Hamas to get the bodies of the deceased captives back to Israel.”
Simultaneously occurring, international organizations are urgently calling for increased aid deliveries to Gaza. The UN reports having 190,000 metric tonnes of aid poised to enter Gaza, while UNICEF has 1,370 trucks ready for delivery. Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated the aim is to deliver at least 600 trucks of aid per day, a target currently far from being met.
Ricardo Pires, a UNICEF spokesperson, emphasized the scale of destruction, stating it will take meaningful and sustained aid efforts. The World Health Association (WHO) echoed this sentiment, with spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic stressing the need to “scale up the delivery of medical supplies” to support overwhelmed hospitals and healthcare workers.
