UN Aid to Gaza Residents via Israeli Military-Controlled Land Route

UN officials announced on Tuesday, March 13, that they recently used a land route controlled by Israeli military forces to send food aid to the northern Gaza region. Shaza Maghrebi, spokesperson for the UN relief agency in the Palestinian territories, noted the increasing international pressure on Israel to provide greater access to Gaza "in conditions close to famine," stating that sufficient food for 25,000 people reached Gaza City through this new route on Tuesday. She added, "This is the first food delivery by the UN to northern Gaza since February 20, and this success shows that it is possible to transfer food by land." Maghrebi also expressed hope that these aid deliveries and food provision to the people of Gaza would increase, so that with continuous and regular access, the residents of this strip, especially those in the northern areas, could be saved from certain famine. The United Nations had previously warned of the threat of famine for about 600,000 people, equivalent to one-quarter of Gaza's population. Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, also stated that the United States is working with Israel to increase the amount of aid sent by land through the Kerem Shalom crossing and a new crossing. Limited aid has also reached southern Gaza via land from the Rafah crossing in Egypt and Kerem Shalom from Israel. In recent days, the U.S. military, in cooperation with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, delivered several shipments of food, water, and medicine to the people of Gaza from the air. President Joe Biden also announced the establishment of a relief dock on the Gaza coast during his annual address to Congress. After Islamist Hamas forces attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage, Israeli officials ordered an attack on Gaza aimed at the complete destruction of the "terrorist" group Hamas. The United States has repeatedly emphasized the need to pay attention to civilians amid the battle while declaring support for Israel's right to defend itself.