Aid trickles into Gaza; Israel receives more hostage bodies

The supply of aid remains critical in Gaza, United Nations agencies have warned, as Israel continues to keep closed key border crossings that are vital to getting food into famine-hit areas

The supply of aid remains critical in Gaza, United Nations agencies have warned, as Israel continues to keep closed key border crossings that are vital to getting food into famine-hit areas.

Israel’s military earlier this week informed the U.N. it would halve the amount of aid expected to enter Gaza due to the slow release of the remains of Israeli hostages, a key point of contention between Hamas and Israel.

Mourners gather during a funeral for Tamir Nimrodi, an Israeli soldier who was captured on Oct. 7, 2023 and died in captivity in Gaza, on Oct. 16, in Kfar Saba, Israel. Chris McGrath / Getty ImagesThe bodies of three hostages were returned to Israel in the last day and the ceasefire continued to hold, however, the United States issued a warning to Hamas should it try to violate the deal with an attack on Palestinians.

The World Food Programme is supplying approximately 560 tons of food every day, its spokesperson, Abeer Etefa, told reporters on Friday. However, the agency is facing challenges in ramping up the quantity, as key crossings remain shut, and in its delivery, due to destroyed roads.

“The first stop is that the Israelis open [these crossings]. It is very important to have these openings in the north,” Jens Larke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said Friday. “That is where the famine took hold.”