FEWER than 100 United Nations-coordinated aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza each day since the ceasefire took effect earlier this month, far below the 600 promised under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, AFP reported on Friday.
Preliminary UN data show that Israel has permitted an average of 1,011 tonnes of aid – equivalent to 94 trucks – to enter Gaza daily between 10 and 21 October.
The figure represents an increase from 700 tonnes, or 62 trucks, recorded between 19 May and 9 October, but remains significantly short of the UN’s planned delivery scale.
“The situation remains extremely critical as the amount of aid entering is still insufficient,” said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Starvation continues because there simply isn’t enough food coming in,” he added during a press briefing.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday ruled that Israel must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, stressing that Palestinians must be guaranteed access to essential supplies for survival.
The data analysed by AFP came from the UN-managed “2720 Gaza Mechanism,” launched on 19 May, a day after Israel ended a two-month blockade preventing humanitarian deliveries.
The monitoring scheme, which relies on observers to verify the arrival and distribution of aid at Israeli checkpoints and within Gaza, excludes commercial convoys and several privately funded initiatives, such as the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The highest number of daily deliveries recorded under the mechanism occurred on 16 October, when 206 trucks entered Gaza.
On 15 October, UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher said the recent flow of aid was “a fraction of what is needed,” with only dozens of trucks arriving each day instead of the hundreds required.
The UN and its NGO partners have already assembled more than 190,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid awaiting Israeli clearance. AFP’s analysis suggested that, at the current pace, it would take more than six months to deliver all of it.
Hamas - Fatah and post-war governance
Meanwhile, in Cairo, delegations from Hamas and its rival faction Fatah met this week to discuss post-war governance and political arrangements for the Gaza Strip.
According to Egypt’s state-linked broadcaster Al-Qahera News, citing intelligence sources, the talks focused on “the broader national political situation and preparations for the period following the end of the war in Gaza.”
The high-level dialogue forms part of Egypt’s continuing mediation efforts to restore stability in the Palestinian territories and reconcile the two major factions — Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, and Fatah, which administers the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.
The talks mark a renewed push for unity between the two movements, which have been at odds since 2007.
The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on 7 October 2023 following a surprise Hamas assault on southern Israel, which left tens of thousands dead and caused widespread destruction in Gaza.
Although a ceasefire is currently in effect, rebuilding essential infrastructure — including hospitals, schools and water systems — remains a monumental challenge.
Egypt, sharing a border with Gaza at the Rafah Crossing, has played a pivotal role in mediating the truce and is now spearheading diplomatic efforts to define Gaza’s future governance.
Analysts believe the Hamas–Fatah dialogue could represent the first step towards forming a Palestinian unity government, potentially paving the way for a new civilian administration in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). - October 24, 2025
