# UN Sends 90 Aid Trucks to Gaza, First Since March
On Wednesday, the United Nations delivered approximately 90 aid trucks into Gaza, marking the first such movement since early March. This development comes amid escalating international pressure on Israel to ease its blockade and halt the ongoing military operations. The UN’s action was announced by Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who stated that around 90 truckloads of goods had been collected from the Kerem Shalom crossing and dispatched into Gaza.
The aid was directed to international and local organizations to address urgent humanitarian needs. This move followed Israel’s announcement that it would permit limited aid to Gaza, which came three days after the country announced its decision. Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, expressed openness to a ‘temporary ceasefire’ but emphasized that the military would continue its efforts to secure full control of Gaza.
Netanyahu stated that it was necessary to ‘avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action’ in Gaza. The blockade, imposed by Israel, has left Palestinians struggling with basic supplies, as weeks of near-total isolation have led to shortages of food and medicine. The situation has been exacerbated by the ongoing military operations, which have resulted in significant casualties.
According to the Gaza health ministry, 82 bodies were taken to hospitals across the territory in the previous 24 hours. The humanitarian crisis has been further compounded by the lack of sufficient aid, with humanitarian groups noting that the amount of aid entering Gaza falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis.
Umm Talal al-Masri, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, described the situation as ‘unbearable.’ She said, ‘No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven’t received anything.’ ‘We barely manage to prepare one meal a day,’ she told AFP. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed group, has announced plans to begin sending aid into Gaza in the coming days. However, the UN and other traditional agencies have refused to cooperate with the foundation, citing concerns about its association with Israel.
The foundation has stated that it plans to distribute around 300 million meals in its first 90 days. Meanwhile, Israel is facing mounting pressure from international allies, including the European Union, to halt its military operations and allow aid into Gaza. The EU’s foreign ministers agreed to review the EU’s trade and cooperation deal with Israel, which Israel’s foreign ministry described as a ‘total misunderstanding’ of the complex reality it faces.
Sweden has called for sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain has suspended free-trade talks with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador. Pope Leo XIV has also expressed concern over the situation in Gaza, urging for ‘the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid.’ Germany has asserted that the EU-Israel cooperation deal is ‘an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions’ over the situation in Gaza.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on 18 March, ending a two-month ceasefire. Netanyahu said he is open to a temporary ceasefire if it helps free hostages. He stated that at least 20 hostages held by Hamas and its allies are still believed to be alive. After the resumption of military operations, the Gaza health ministry reported over 3,509 deaths, bringing the war’s overall death toll to 53,655, including mostly civilians.
In neighboring Lebanon, authorities stated that Israeli strikes killed three people on Wednesday. Israel said the attacks targeted Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, despite an ongoing ceasefire with the group.