Amid disruptions to aid delivery, the United Nations is planning new routes to deliver aid from a U.S.-built pier off of the Gazan coast, according to a Gaza spokesperson. The halt to deliveries comes after crowds of Palestinians desperate for food intercepted trucks, causing operations to be suspended for a third day on Tuesday, May 21.
Over the weekend, several trucks never made it to a United Nations warehouse in Gaza because they were intercepted by Palestinians while traveling from the pier. In total, only about half of the trucks made it to their destination. Now, the U.N. announced it is planning new routes for aid delivery.
On top of deliveries from the Gaza pier, a separate distribution issue emerged. Individual members of Israel’s security forces have reportedly been tipping off Israeli activists to the locations of aid trucks.
A spokesperson for an Israel activist group said they have been blocking trucks from delivering aid since January 2024. The group claims that aid intended for Gazans is being “hijacked” by Hamas once into Gaza. International relief agencies rejected those claims, and the United States said that it has no evidence to support the allegations.
These reported issues with aid led to increased skepticism about the capability to deliver aid to Gazans facing famine. Right now, it is unclear when the new routes will be ready for use. At last check, more than 600 tons of relief made it into Gaza.
