Fri May 23 13:49:02 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Gaza Aid ‘A Drop in the Ocean’ as Blockade Eases, UN and Doctors Warn**

Gaza City – Despite Israel easing its 11-week blockade and allowing some aid trucks into Gaza, the United Nations and medical professionals on the ground are warning that the volume of supplies remains woefully inadequate to address the escalating humanitarian crisis.

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, confirmed that 107 trucks carrying flour, medicine, and equipment entered Gaza on Thursday. However, aid agencies are condemning Israel’s policy of allowing only minimal aid, stating that the amounts are insufficient for the 2.1 million residents trapped in the territory. The UN estimates at least 500 trucks of aid are needed daily. Since Monday, only 300 have entered Gaza.

UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher called the deliveries “a drop in the ocean,” emphasizing the urgent need for greater access. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that even the limited aid reaching Gaza faces “significant challenges” in distribution due to insecurity, looting, coordination delays, and unsuitable routes provided by Israeli forces.

Reports indicate looting, including by armed groups, is further hampering aid distribution. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) stated that 15 of its trucks were looted in southern Gaza.

Inside Gaza, the situation is dire. Dr. Ahmed al-Farrah of Nasser Hospital described the health system as overwhelmed, with residents relying on meager food scraps. Palestinian Health Ministry officials report at least 29 children and elderly people have died in recent days from starvation-related causes, with thousands more at risk.

The leaders of Britain, France, and Canada have warned Israel that they would take action, including possible sanctions, if aid restrictions are not lifted, arguing that the denial of humanitarian assistance risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused the trio of being “on the wrong side of history” and “supporting “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”.

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