UN Humanitarian Office Says Around 100 Aid Trucks Approved To Enter Gaza
Trucks carrying aid, arrive at the Kerem Shalom crossing, as they make their way into Gaza, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
GENEVA, May 20 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The United Nations (UN) humanitarian affairs office on Tuesday said the entry of around 100 trucks carrying aid into Gaza marked a significant increase from the nine cleared the day before.
"We have requested and received approval for more trucks to enter today. Many more than were approved yesterday," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
"And we expect, of course, with that approval, many of them—hopefully all of them—to cross today to a point where they can be picked up and get further into the Gaza Strip for distribution," Laerke said.
bootstrap slideshow
When asked for a specific number, he said the figure was "around 100."
The announcement came a day after just nine aid trucks were cleared for entry into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday—a number that OCHA and other aid groups have repeatedly said is far below what is needed to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of Gaza's population.
Of the nine trucks cleared Monday, Laerke said only five were actually able to move into Gaza due to logistical challenges at the crossing.
'Out of those nine, five of them actually crossed into Gaza … for logistical reasons. Four of them were not able to enter,' he said, explaining that the crossing involves a complex transfer process. 'As you know, the crossing has different stages, and there is a repacking … from one set of trucks to another set of trucks before it can move in.'
Even the five trucks that crossed Monday have yet to be fully released for delivery, Laerke noted, due to ongoing control measures by Israeli authorities.
"So it moved from different levels of Israeli control. The last level where the five trucks entered is still under Israeli control, and we need permission to pick it up."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Ayatollah Khamenei: Israel has sealed a bitter and painful destiny
TEHRAN: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Israeli regime has sealed a "bitter and painful" destiny for itself with overnight strikes on Iran, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. In a message to the nation on Friday morning, hours after Israel struck locations in Tehran and other cities, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Zionist regime should await a harsh punishment. "To the Great Iranian Nation!" the Leader's message began, "the Zionist regime carried out, with its evil and bloody hand, a crime in our dear country and revealed its wicked nature further by hitting residential areas." "The regime should await a harsh response," Ayatollah Khamenei said. He said a number of commanders and scientists were assassinated in the strikes. "Their successors and colleagues will immediately pick up their work." "With this crime, the Zionist regime has sealed for itself a bitter and painful destiny and will definitely see that [destiny] brought upon it," Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Israeli regime began military strikes in and near the Iranian capital, Tehran, as well as other cities in Iran overnight on Friday. Images showed damaged residential buildings in several locations in the capital.
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
Jordan says intercepted drones, missiles in its airspace
AMMAN: Jordan's military said it intercepted drones and missiles that had violated the kingdom's airspace on Friday, after Iran vowed there would be 'no limits' in its response to Israeli attacks. 'Royal Air Force aircraft and air defence systems intercepted on Friday morning a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace,' a military statement said. Air raid sirens sounded in the Jordanian capital after Israel's attack on Iran, while the public security directorate urged people to stay at home. 'Adhere to the guidelines and stay in your homes,' said an announcement on loudspeakers in Amman. Jordan had earlier said it would not allow its airspace to be violated and vowed not to become a 'battleground' in any regional conflict. In October 2024, Jordan intercepted multiple drones and missiles fired by Iran at Israel. 'Jordan has not and will not allow any violation of its airspace, reaffirming that the Kingdom will not be a battleground for any conflict,' government spokesperson Mohammad Momani told AFP. The government meanwhile condemned Israel's attack, with foreign ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah warning of 'the consequences of such escalatory actions'. Jordan also called the attack 'a blatant violation of the sovereignty of a United Nations member state and a clear breach of international law and the UN Charter'.
The Star
35 minutes ago
- The Star
Stocks tumble, oil soars as Israel's strike on Iran jolts markets
TOKYO: Global stock markets dived on Friday and oil prices surged after Israel conducted a military strike on Iran, rattling investors and sparking a shift towards safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc. The escalation in hostilities in the Middle East - a major oil-producing region - adds a fresh layer of uncertainty for financial markets at a time of heightened pressure on the global economy from U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive and erratic trade policies. Market reaction was swift. Crude oil jumped as much as 14% at one point, with Brent futures up $5.43 at $74.79 per barrel at 0541 GMT, and WTI futures up $5.55 at $73.59 per barrel. Gold climbed as high as $3,444.06 per ounce, bringing it close to the record high of $3,500.05 from April. U.S. S&P E-mini futures slumped 1.6% and Nasdaq futures dropped 1.7%. Pan-European STOXX 50 futures tumbled 1.7%. Japan's Nikkei lost 1.1%, South Korea's KOSPI dropped 1.3% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 1%. "The geopolitical escalation adds another layer of uncertainty to already fragile sentiment," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo, adding that crude oil and safe-haven assets will remain on an upward trajectory if tensions continue to intensify. Global stock markets had been poised for a fall following an almost unbroken rally since early April that took the MSCI All-Country World index to an all-time high this week, according to Jessica Amir, a strategist at MooMoo. "There's room for fat to be taken off the table," she said. "It just appears that this is the catalyst that will probably send equities down lower." Israel said its "preemptive strike" targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran had launched about 100 drones towards Israeli territory in retaliation, which Israel is working to intercept, an Israeli military spokesman said. Iranian state media confirmed on Friday the death of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami in the strikes, with six nuclear scientists also killed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Israeli offensive a "unilateral action" and said that Washington was not involved. Tensions had been building as Trump's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran appear to be deadlocked. U.S. and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday. The latest flare-up in fighting in the Middle East comes as investors have been wrestling with major shifts in U.S. economic and trade policies, as Trump has shredded the playbooks that have governed international trade and the world order for decades. U.S. Treasuries were bought in the rush for safer assets, sending the yield on 10-year notes to a one-month low of 4.31%. Some traders were attracted to the dollar as a haven, with the dollar index up 0.6% to 98.277, retracing most of Thursday's sizeable decline. The Swiss franc was also in demand, but was flat against the dollar at 0.8107. Fellow safe haven the yen edged down 0.1% to 143.71 per dollar, giving up earlier gains of 0.3%. The euro sank 0.6% to $1.1521, retracing most of its 0.9% overnight jump to the highest since October 2021. Sterling skidded 0.6% to $1.3540, after marking a fresh high since February 2022 at $1.3613 early in the day. "Traders are now on edge over the prospects of a full-blown Middle East conflict," said Matt Simpson, a senior market analyst at City Index. "That will keep uncertainty high and volatility elevated." - Reuters
