Israel sends 50 aid trucks into northern Gaza after US demands situation improves
US authorities gave Israel's government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk losing military aid, ITV News Correspondent Peter Smith reports
Israel has let 50 aid trucks carrying food, water, medical equipment into northern Gaza, according to the country's military.
In a post on X, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the vehicles had taken resources provided by Jordan into northern Gaza via the Allenby Bridge and Erez West crossings.
"The IDF, via the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) will continue to act in accordance with international humanitarian law to facilitate and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza," the military said.
It comes a day after US authorities sent a letter to Israel's government, giving the country 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk losing military aid.
A spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) told ITV News that the aid coming in on the first day was only enough to give "9,000 families one bag of wheat flour each, it is nowhere near enough to meet the needs of people".
Sources on the ground have confirmed that aid has not reached the Jabaliya refugee camp, where many displaced Palestinians are currently seeking shelter.
Last weekend, the UN World Food Programme warned that Israeli military operations are having a "disastrous impact" on food security for Palestinians.
In the letter, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said actions by the Israeli government, including stopping nearly 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, have contributed to an "accelerated deterioration" of conditions in the territory.
Although the threat of withdrawing military aid was not explicitly made, the letter said the US would need to assess Israel's commitment to not impeding the delivery of US humanitarian aid in order to continue to provide it with military financing.
“The letter was not meant as a threat," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
"The letter was simply meant to reiterate the sense of urgency we feel and the seriousness with which we feel it, about the need for an increase, a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance.”
As part of a series of demands, the letter set out that Israel must allow 350 trucks into Gaza a day through all four major crossings on the Egyptian border, and open a fifth crossing.
It also stipulated Israel has to implement humanitarian pauses in the war to allow aid distribution and activities like vaccinations for at least the next four months.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the United Nations peacekeeping mission says Israeli troops fired at their watchtower in the south of the country.
“Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position,” the peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kfar Kila observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged,” UNIFIL said.
“We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” the peacekeeping mission added.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know