Gaza aid deliveries remain critically insufficient, humanitarian agencies report, as Israel continues to delay the entry of vital convoys despite the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated Thursday it has increased medical supply deliveries to health facilities in the occupied Palestinian territory as the truce began, but warns the humanitarian situation is deteriorating daily amid accusations of ceasefire violations from both sides.
The delays exacerbate an already dire situation in Gaza, where an estimated 60m tonnes of rubble cover the territory following weeks of intense conflict. Gaza’s civil defence agency believes the bodies of approximately 10,000 people remain trapped under collapsed buildings. the scale of the recovery effort is immense, with Turkey deploying dozens of disaster relief specialists to assist in searching for remains.
Israel accuses Hamas of breaching the ceasefire by failing to return the remains of all deceased hostages. While Hamas has returned the last 20 surviving hostages, only nine of 28 deceased captives have been handed back, citing the need for specialized equipment to recover the rest from the rubble.
The potential for renewed conflict looms, with US President Donald Trump stating he would consider allowing Israeli forces to resume fighting if Hamas does not uphold the ceasefire agreement. “Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap of them, they’d do that,” Trump told CNN.
The ongoing crisis follows a history of devastation in Gaza, described as “one of the oldest urban centres on the planet” facing ruin.
