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Euronews
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Israeli troops fire near overwhelmed aid centre in Gaza
Israeli troops opened fire near thousands of Palestinians as a logistics group picked by Israel and backed by the US lost control of its aid distribution centre on its second day of operations. The distribution hub, opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was not prepared for the thousands of hungry Palestinians who broke through fences in order to reach the aid. The Israeli military said it fired "warning shots" near the hub in order to regain control of the situation. Palestinians in Gaza have been under a tight Israeli blockade, including an 11-week total block on critical supplies. Some of those at the scene told AP that a hundreds of thousands had travelled several miles to reach the aid hub, passing through nearby military positions. By afternoon, the centre was over capacity and turmoil erupted with people tearing down fences and grabbing forces. Workers at the aid centre abandoned their posts, the foundation said. 'At one moment in the late afternoon, the volume of people at the (secure distribution centre) was such that the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Palestinians in Gaza to take aid safely and dissipate,' explained GHF in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged there had been a "loss of control momentarily" during the food distribution in a speech on Tuesday night, but said it was "brought back under control." Most were reportedly left empty-handed after visiting the overwhelmed centre, although a few managed to secure boxes containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini. 'It was chaos,' said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'People were panicked.' The GHF has been under continuous controversy after its founding director, Jake Wood, resigned on Sunday citing concerns about the organisation's impartiality and effectiveness. It would not be possible for the group to deliver aid "while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence," Wood said. The UN and other international aid organisations have refused to work with the centre, arguing that doing so would compromise fundamental values key to reaching civilians in all conflict zones. They have also warned that the new group would be unable to meet the demands of feeding more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated following months of warfare. The US and Israel have backed the organisation, which they claim is necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing humanitarian aid. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the priority was delivering aid to Gaza, no matter who was delivering it. She also accused Hamas of blocking GHF convoys from reaching individuals. However, scenes on Tuesday seemed to confirm the suggestion from international aid groups that the GHF would be unprepared to meet the demand in the Gaza Strip. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called the scenes "heartbreaking" and said the sight of crowds rushing to get aid was upsetting when the UN and partners have a "detailed, principled and operationally sound plan" to get aid into the enclave. The GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food in the Rafah area. It uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. Israel says it will replace the UN and other aid groups that have coordinated a massive operation distributing supplies throughout the war. The past week, however, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the UN to distribute. The Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid, COGAT, said Tuesday that 400 trucks of food supplies were waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel but that the UN had not collected them. A spokesperson for the UN in Geneva told reporters that Israeli authorities have been assigned "insecure routes" that pose a challenge for aid agencies. The amount of aid allowed in the last week was "vastly insufficient," he added. National Public Radio (NPR) and three of its local stations have sued US President Donald Trump, arguing that his executive order cutting funding to the 246-station network violates their free speech and relies on an authority that he does not have. Earlier this month, Trump instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to cease funding for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), either directly or indirectly. The president and his supporters argue their news reporting promotes liberal bias and shouldn't be supported by taxpayers. Retaliation is Trump's plain purpose, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, argues. "By basing its directives on the substance of NPR's programming, the executive order seeks to force NPR to adapt its journalistic standards and editorial choices to the preferences of the government if it is to continue to receive federal funding," Katherine Maher, NPR's CEO, said. The lawsuit alleges that Trump is acting to contravene the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private non-profit corporation set up to distribute federal funding to NPR and PBS, which is intended to insulate the system from political interference. Congress has appropriated $535 million (€478 million) yearly to CPB for 2025, 2026 and 2027. In response to the lawsuit, White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said that CPB "is creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime," so Trump was exercising his authority under the law. "The president was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective," Fields said. Trump hasn't hidden his feelings about NPR, calling it a "liberal disinformation machine" in an April social media post. The court fight seemed preordained, given that the heads of NPR and PBS both reacted to Trump's move earlier this month with statements that they believed it was illegal. The absence of PBS from Tuesday's filing indicates the two systems will challenge this separately. PBS has not yet gone to court, but is expected to. "PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organisation to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans," PBS spokesman Jeremy Gaines said. The president's attempts to dismantle government-run news sources like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have also sparked court fights. In May, the European Union agreed to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's foreign ministers had agreed to a €5.5 million contract to "support the vital work of Radio Free Europe." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's programmes are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. The administration has also battled with the press on several fronts. The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC, CBS and NBC News. The Associated Press also went to court after the administration restricted access to certain events in response to the press agency's decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico as Trump decreed.
Euronews
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Israeli troops open fire as Gaza crowd overwhelms US-backed aid hub
Israeli troops opened fire near thousands of Palestinians as a logistics group picked by Israel and backed by the US lost control of its aid distribution centre on its second day of operations. The distribution hub, opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was not prepared for the thousands of hungry Palestinians who broke through fences in order to reach the aid. Palestinians in Gaza have been under a tight Israeli blockade, including an 11-week total block on critical supplies. Some of those at the scene told AP that a hundreds of thousands had travelled several miles to reach the aid hub, passing through nearby military positions. By afternoon, the centre was over capacity and turmoil erupted with people tearing down fences and grabbing forces. Workers at the aid centre abandoned their posts, the foundation said. 'At one moment in the late afternoon, the volume of people at the SDS [secure distribution centre] was such that the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Palestinians in Gaza to take aid safely and dissipate,' explained GHF in a statement. An Israeli tank and gunfire were heard and a military helicopter fired flares, according to AP. At least three injured Palestinians were brought from the scene, one bleeding from his leg. The Israeli military said it fired "warning shots" near the hub in order to regain control of the situation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged there had been a "loss of control momentarily" during the food distribution in a speech on Tuesday night , but said it was "brought back under control." Most were reportedly left empty handed after visiting the overwhelmed centre, although a few managed to secure boxes containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini. 'It was chaos,' said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'People were panicked.' The GHF has been under continuous controversy after its founding director, Jake Wood, resigned on Sunday citing concerns about the organisation's impartiality and effectiveness. It would not be possible for the group to deliver aid "while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence," Wood said. The UN and other international aid organisations have refused to work with the centre, arguing that doing so would compromise fundamental values key to reaching civilians in all conflict zones. They have also warned that the new group would be unable to meet the demands of feeding more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated following months of warfare. The US and Israel have backed the organisation, which they claim is necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing humanitarian aid. US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the priority was delivering aid to Gaza, no matter who was delivering it. She also accused Hamas of blocking GHF convoys from reaching individuals. However, scenes on Tuesday seemed to confirm the suggestion from international aid groups that the GHF would be unprepared to meet the demand in the Gaza Strip. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called the scenes "heartbreaking" and said the sight of crowds rushing to get aid were upsetting when the UN and partners have a "detailed, principled and operationally sound plan" to get aid into the enclave. The GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, both in the Rafah area. It uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. Israel says it will replace the UN and other aid groups that have coordinated a massive operation distributing supplies throughout the war. The past week, however, Israel has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the UN to distribute. The Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid, COGAT, said Tuesday that 400 trucks of food supplies were waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel but that the UN had not collected them. A spokesperson for the UN in Geneva told reporters that Israeli authorities have been assigned "insecure routes" that pose a challenged for aid agencies. The amount of aid allowed in the last week was "vastly insufficient," he added. National Public Radio (NPR) and three of its local stations have sued US President Donald Trump, arguing that his executive order cutting funding to the 246-station network violates their free speech and relies on an authority that he does not have. Earlier this month, Trump instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to cease funding for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), either directly or indirectly. The president and his supporters argue their news reporting promotes liberal bias and shouldn't be supported by taxpayers. Retaliation is Trump's plain purpose, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, argues. "By basing its directives on the substance of NPR's programming, the executive order seeks to force NPR to adapt its journalistic standards and editorial choices to the preferences of the government if it is to continue to receive federal funding," Katherine Maher, NPR's CEO, said. The lawsuit alleges that Trump is acting to contravene the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private non-profit corporation set up to distribute federal funding to NPR and PBS, which is intended to insulate the system from political interference. Congress has appropriated $535 million (€478 million) yearly to CPB for 2025, 2026 and 2027. In response to the lawsuit, White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said that CPB "is creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime," so Trump was exercising his authority under the law. "The president was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective," Fields said. Trump hasn't hidden his feelings about NPR, calling it a "liberal disinformation machine" in an April social media post. The court fight seemed preordained, given that the heads of NPR and PBS both reacted to Trump's move earlier this month with statements that they believed it was illegal. The absence of PBS from Tuesday's filing indicates the two systems will challenge this separately. PBS has not yet gone to court, but is expected to. "PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organisation to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans," PBS spokesman Jeremy Gaines said. The president's attempts to dismantle government-run news sources like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have also sparked court fights. In May, the European Union agreed to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's foreign ministers had agreed to a €5.5 million contract to "support the vital work of Radio Free Europe." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's programmes are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. The administration has also battled with the press on several fronts. The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC, CBS and NBC News. The Associated Press also went to court after the administration restricted access to certain events in response to the press agency's decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico as Trump decreed.
The Age
28-05-2025
- The Age
Israeli fire sparks chaos as starving Palestinians overrun new Gaza aid centre
Two people said each person was searched and had their faces scanned for identification before being allowed to receive the boxes. Crowds swelled and turmoil erupted, with people tearing down fences and grabbing boxes. The staff at the site were forced to flee, they said. Loading The AP journalist positioned some distance away heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. He saw a military helicopter overhead firing flares. 'There was no order, the people rushed to take, there was shooting, and we fled,' said Hosni Abu Amra, who had been waiting to receive aid. 'We fled without taking anything that would help us get through this hunger.' 'It was chaos,' said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'People were panicked.' Crowds were seen running from the site. A few managed to secure aid boxes – containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini – but the vast majority left empty-handed. A UN spokesperson called images of the incident 'heartbreaking'. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocols aimed at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened'. Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said – without providing evidence – that Hamas, Gaza's dominant militant group, had tried to block civilians from reaching the aid distribution centre. Hamas denied the accusation. 'The real cause of the delay and collapse in the aid distribution process is the tragic chaos caused by the mismanagement of the same company operating under the Israeli occupation's administration in those buffer zones,' Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said. 'This has led to thousands of starving people, under the pressure of siege and hunger, storming distribution centres and seizing food, during which Israeli forces opened fire.' GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday — both of them in the Rafah area. By late afternoon on Tuesday (Wednesday (AEST), GHF said it had distributed about 8000 food boxes, equivalent to about 462,000 meals. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X that 8000 'food packages' were delivered to Palestinians on Tuesday, the first day of what he described as an American initiative. Some of the recipients showed the content of the packages, which included some rice, flour, canned beans, pasta, olive oil, biscuits and sugar. The UN and other humanitarian groups have refused to participate in GHF's system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation – a violation of international law. They have also opposed the use of facial recognition to vet recipients. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the turmoil at the Rafah centre, saying, 'There was some loss of control momentarily … happily we brought it under control.' He repeated that Israel planned to move Gaza's entire population to a 'sterile zone' at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere. Israel has said the new system is necessary because it claims Hamas has been siphoning off supplies that reach Gaza. The UN has denied that any significant diversion takes place. Throughout the war, the UN and other aid groups have conducted a massive operation distributing food, medicine and other supplies to wherever Palestinians are located. Israel says GHF will replace that network, but the past week has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the UN to distribute. COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid, said on Tuesday that 400 trucks of supplies, mainly food, were waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel, but that the UN had not collected them. It said Israel had extended the times for collection and expanded the routes that the UN could use inside Gaza. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office OCHA, told reporters in Geneva that agencies struggle to pick up the supplies 'because of the insecure routes that are being assigned to us by the Israeli authorities to use'.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Israeli troops fire warning shots as Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food center
MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new U.S.-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a center distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Nearby Israeli troops fired warning shots, sending people fleeing in panic. An AP journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares. The Israeli military said its troops fired the warning shots in the area outside the center and that 'control over the situation was established.' At least three injured Palestinians were seen by The Associated Press being brought from the scene, one of them bleeding from his leg. The distribution hub outside Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations. The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won't be able to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. Palestinians walk miles for food, finding chaos Palestinians at the scene told AP that small numbers of people made their way to the GHF center Tuesday morning and received food boxes. As word spread, large numbers of men, women and children walked for several miles from the sprawling tent camps along Gaza's Mediterranean coast. To reach the hub, they had to pass through nearby Israeli military positions. By the afternoon, hundreds of thousands were massed at the hub. Videos show the crowds funneled in long lines through chain-link fence passages. Two people said each person was searched and had their faces scanned for identification before being allowed to receive the boxes. Crowds swelled and turmoil erupted, with people tearing down fences and grabbing boxes. The staff at the site were forced to flee, they said. The AP journalist positioned some distance away heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. He saw a military helicopter overhead firing flares. 'There was no order, the people rushed to take, there was shooting, and we fled,' said Hosni Abu Amra, who had been waiting to receive aid. 'We fled without taking anything that would help us get through this hunger.' 'It was chaos,' said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'People were panicked.' Crowds were seen running from the site. A few managed to secure aid boxes — containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini — but the vast majority left empty-handed. US-backed group says they 'fell back' to ensure safety In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocols aim at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened.' GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday — both of them in the Rafah area. The U.N. and other humanitarian groups have refused to participate in GHF's system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation – a violation of international law. They have also opposed the use of facial recognition to vet recipients. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday commented on the turmoil at the Rafah center, saying, 'There was some loss of control momentarily … happily we brought it under control.' He repeated that Israel plans to move Gaza's entire population to a 'sterile zone' at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere. UN says it has been struggling to transport aid Israel has said the new system is necessary because it claims Hamas has been siphoning off supplies that reach Gaza. The U.N. has denied that any significant diversion takes place. Throughout the war, the U.N. and other aid groups have conducted a massive operation distributing food, medicine and other supplies to wherever Palestinians are located. Israel says GHF will replace that network, but the past week has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the U.N. to distribute. COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid, said on Tuesday that 400 trucks of supplies, mainly food, was waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel, but that the U.N. had not collected them. It said Israel has extended the times for collection and expanded the routes that the U.N. can use inside Gaza. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office OCHA, told reporters in Geneva that agencies have struggled to pick up the supplies "because of the insecure routes that are being assigned to us by the Israeli authorities to use.' He said the amount of aid allowed the past week was 'vastly insufficient.' ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press correspondents Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Edith Lederer in New York and Lee Keath in Cairo contributed to this report. Mohammed Jahjouh And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Israeli troops fire warning shots as Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food center
MUWASI, Gaza Strip — Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new U.S.-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a center distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Nearby Israeli troops fired warning shots, sending people fleeing in panic. An AP journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares. The Israeli military said its troops fired the warning shots in the area outside the center and that 'control over the situation was established.' At least three injured Palestinians were seen by The Associated Press being brought from the scene, one of them bleeding from his leg. The distribution hub outside Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations. The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won't be able to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. Palestinians at the scene told AP that small numbers of people made their way to the GHF center Tuesday morning and received food boxes. As word spread, large numbers of men, women and children walked for several miles from the sprawling tent camps along Gaza's Mediterranean coast. To reach the hub, they had to pass through nearby Israeli military positions. By the afternoon, hundreds of thousands were massed at the hub. Videos show the crowds funneled in long lines through chain-link fence passages. Two people said each person was searched and had their faces scanned for identification before being allowed to receive the boxes. Crowds swelled and turmoil erupted, with people tearing down fences and grabbing boxes. The staff at the site were forced to flee, they said. The AP journalist positioned some distance away heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. He saw a military helicopter overhead firing flares. 'There was no order, the people rushed to take, there was shooting, and we fled,' said Hosni Abu Amra, who had been waiting to receive aid. 'We fled without taking anything that would help us get through this hunger.' 'It was chaos,' said Ahmed Abu Taha, who said he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'People were panicked.' Crowds were seen running from the site. A few managed to secure aid boxes — containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tahini — but the vast majority left empty-handed. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocols aim at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened.' GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday — both of them in the Rafah area. The U.N. and other humanitarian groups have refused to participate in GHF's system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation, which is a violation of international law. They have also opposed the use of facial recognition to vet recipients. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday commented on the turmoil at the Rafah center, saying, 'There was some loss of control momentarily … happily we brought it under control.' He repeated that Israel plans to move Gaza's entire population to a 'sterile zone' at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere. Israel has said the new system is necessary because it claims Hamas has been siphoning off supplies that reach Gaza. The U.N. has denied that any significant diversion takes place. Throughout the war, the U.N. and other aid groups have conducted a massive operation distributing food, medicine and other supplies to wherever Palestinians are located. Israel says GHF will replace that network, but the past week has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the U.N. to distribute. COGAT, the Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid, said on Tuesday that 400 trucks of supplies, mainly food, was waiting on the Gaza side of the main crossing from Israel, but that the U.N. had not collected them. It said Israel has extended the times for collection and expanded the routes that the U.N. can use inside Gaza. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office OCHA, told reporters in Geneva that agencies have struggled to pick up the supplies 'because of the insecure routes that are being assigned to us by the Israeli authorities to use.' He said the amount of aid allowed the past week was 'vastly insufficient.'
