Doha: The United Nations confirmed that it had received notification from the Israeli occupation authorities indicating their intention to cut in half the number of aid trucks scheduled to enter the Gaza Strip, out of approximately 600 trucks that Israel had pledged to allow through after the ceasefire.
According to Qatar News Agency, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, said in a press conference held yesterday that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) informed the UN in an official letter of its decision to reduce the number of trucks heading to Gaza, under the pretext of returning bodies.
The UN is aware of what was stated in the COGAT letter, and is seeking to deliver as much humanitarian aid as possible to Gaza, Haq added.
He stressed that the international organization calls on all parties to abide by their commitments, including the return of the bodies of deceased prisoners, and to implement the remaining provisions of the ceasefire agreement, most notably ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have called for all crossings into the Gaza Strip to be opened to allow the entry of vital and urgent aid.