80 aid trucks enter Gaza on Thursday as assistance continues to lag behind set goals

Just 80 trucks of humanitarian aid entered Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing as of 6 p.m. on Thursday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says, as the amount of assistance continues to lag behind goals set by international agencies.

Before the war’s outbreak, roughly 500 trucks of aid were entering Gaza each day.

The UN set an initial goal of 100 trucks a day that has only been met several times since aid first started being allowed in on October 21.

The US and other international brokers have said the number of trucks needs to reach well over 100 in order to address the exponentially growing need.

But while Israel agreed in its hostage deal with Hamas to allow at least 200 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza for every day of the multi-day truce, the current aid delivery mechanisms the IDF has in place are unlikely to enable this much-needed increase in assistance, two Biden administration officials have told The Times of Israel.

In addition to the trucks of aid, 75,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Thursday, in line with the November 18 Israeli decision to allow two trucks of fuel into the Strip each day to assist with food distribution, the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters and other critical services, UNOCHA says.

In addition, 433 dual and foreign nationals managed to exit the Strip through Rafah on Thursday, along with 17 wounded and sick people who are being treated in Egypt.