Despite Israel’s demands, the first convoy of humanitarian aid that rolled into the Gaza Strip was not inspected for weapons, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The report was later taken down after the IDF denied the claim.
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The 20-truck convoy, loaded with aid passed through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza, was allowed to enter the territory after days of diplomatic negotiations as it remains under siege by Israel after terrorists from the ruling Hamas faction stormed Israeli border towns, massacring over 1,400 people. The move came as the blockaded Palestinian enclave faced dwindling supplies, with hospitals on the brink of shutdown and essential resources like food, water and medicine in short supply.
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Humanitarian aid convoy enters Gaza through Rafah border crossing
(Photo: Mahmoud Khaled / Getty Images)
The IDF liaison to the Palestinians later denied the claims. "At the request of the U.S. government, humanitarian aid containing only water, food and medical equipment was introduced today to the southern part of the Strip through the Rafah crossing. All the equipment was inspected before entering Gaza. We emphasize that Israel has the capability to ensure that nothing other than the aforementioned items was introduced or extracted," read a statement from the army's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary general, said future aid convoys into Gaza will need to be inspected, according to the report. There are scores of aid trucks still waiting on the Egyptian side of the border.
Earlier Saturday, a senior Israeli defense official said there was no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip despite Israel's tight blockade on the territory.
The official noted that 700,000 civilians have so far evacuated northern areas of Gaza and moved southward as Israel prepares for a ground incursion into the territory to uproot Hamas's presence there. However, 350,000 people still remain in Gaza City and the surrounding refugee camps.
"There is no shortage of water or food or medicine, for the next few weeks," the senior official said. "Many of those who remain in the northern part of the Strip, have left their homes and relocated to shelters. Hamas continues to work to keep civilians in the northern areas." The official said the humanitarian corridor defined by the IDF and communicated to Gazans, will remain free of attack.