EU Demands More Gaza Aid Access as COGAT Reports Thousands of Winter Supply Deliveries
By The Media Line Staff
The European Union called on Israel to expand humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip following severe winter flooding, as Israeli authorities reported delivering thousands of trucks carrying emergency supplies and facilitating repairs to essential infrastructure.
“The severe flooding and winter conditions that have struck Gaza are further aggravating the living conditions of an already exhausted population, exacerbating unsafe conditions and human suffering,” the EU said.
The appeal followed a letter from more than 50 countries and organizations demanding increased deliveries of winter assistance.
“We urge Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale, and to reopen all Gaza border crossings,” the EU added.
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported last week that more than 91,000 tents and over 8,200 trucks carrying winter equipment had entered Gaza since September. Shipments included blankets, tarpaulins, generators and medical supplies.
The Israel Defense Forces also reported authorizing 12 sewage-pumping trucks, facilitating water network maintenance and coordinating deliveries of 7,500 UNICEF vaccine doses and three mobile clinics for the International Medical Corps. Hospitals received fuel and medications.
Israeli security officials said approximately half of approved aid requests remained unfulfilled because UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations had not collected or transported the supplies, citing logistical and financial difficulties, according to The Times of Israel.
Hamas municipal and civil defense officials blamed their limited response to the flooding on fuel shortages and damaged equipment. They accused Israel of destroying hundreds of vehicles during the war, including bulldozers and water-pumping machinery.
Israel has reportedly maintained restrictions on construction equipment and other dual-use materials, citing concerns that Hamas and other terrorist organizations could exploit them for military purposes.
The EU also called on Israel to meet its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and permit humanitarian organizations to operate.
“We recall that aid should be solely used for peaceful uses and not diverted by armed groups,” the statement said.
Israel and international organizations have accused Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups of stealing humanitarian supplies and selling them to civilians for profit.
The EU statement concluded that it“reaffirms its commitment to the two-state solution” and urged compliance with the Board of Peace’s provisions for “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from Hamas and other non-state armed groups, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the civilian transition in Gaza.”
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