Israel’s COGAT agency has been informed by international organizations that there is an excess of aid being sent to northern Gaza and it should be decreased. According to the Jerusalem Post, COGAT stated in a thread on X (formerly Twitter) that discussions with Israeli and UN representatives, including the World Food Program, did not indicate a risk of famine in northern Gaza. They reported that the humanitarian situation was improving and there was a sufficient supply of goods in warehouses and markets in the north.
In response to the situation, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer mentioned that 100 aid trucks were entering northern Gaza daily, and reiterated that international organizations had confirmed there was no famine risk in Gaza. Markets in both the north and south were described as bustling by Mencer, who explained that Israel had been advised to reduce the amount of goods being transported to northern Gaza due to the high quantities in proportion to the population. The main concern, according to Mencer, was ensuring that aid reached the civilians in Gaza before being taken by Hamas.
The Biden administration has acknowledged an increase in aid supply to Gaza after an accidental IDF attack on a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles that resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers. The White House has intervened to prevent an Israeli strike on the last Hamas battalions in Rafah and has pushed for a hostage deal, arguing that a pause in fighting is necessary to facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
