Israel announced Wednesday that it opened a key crossing into northern Gaza to allow humanitarian aid from the United Nations and other international organizations to enter.
"Today, the Zikim crossing has been opened for the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip," COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said on X.
When contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), a COGAT spokesman said the crossing would now remain open "permanently," like the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza, through which the bulk of aid has been transferred since Israel launched its genocidal war in October 2023.
COGAT said that humanitarian aid entering Gaza through Zikim, the main access point to Gaza's hard-hit north, would be subject to the usual Israeli security checks prior to entering, before being dispatched via the U.N.
The U.N.'s World Food Programme said in late October that it had not been able to collect cargo in north Gaza since the crossing was closed on Sept. 12.
Getting humanitarian aid into Gaza is complicated by lengthy Israeli security checks and restrictions on the entry of a large number of items, humanitarian workers have said.
Once inside Gaza, getting aid to its final intended destination is complicated due to the destruction of much of the infrastructure or the risk of looting.
"The opening of direct crossings to the north is vital to ensure that sufficient aid reaches people as soon as possible," the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) said in a recent situation report.
The U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) had confirmed famine conditions in north Gaza in August, which COGAT contested.
Earlier Tuesday, UNICEF accused Israel of blocking essential items, including syringes to vaccinate children and bottles for baby formula, from entry into Gaza.
The accusation came as UNICEF undertook a mass children's vaccination campaign and it said it faces serious challenges getting 1.6 million syringes and solar-powered fridges to store vaccine vials into Gaza. The syringes have awaited customs clearance since August, UNICEF said.
"Both the syringes and the ... refrigerators are considered dual-use by Israel and these items we're finding very hard to get them through clearances and inspections, yet they are urgent," UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said.
On Monday, the U.N. relief chief said that significant challenges continue to obstruct humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, despite some progress.
"One month after the Gaza cease-fire, we're continuing to seize every opportunity to save lives," said Tom Fletcher, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Noting that the U.N. and its partners have made strides in aid delivery, Fletcher said "the U.N. and our partners have fed more than a million people," adding that "nutrition sites have been reopened and hospitals are treating more patients."
He said that "roads have been cleared" and that vital services such as immunizations, water line repairs and the distribution of winter clothes, blankets and mental health support have resumed.
Warning that "many obstacles remain," Fletcher said the U.N. is "working to overcome red tape, enable essential humanitarian partners, open more crossings and routes, and navigate continued insecurity."
"With these constraints eased, we can do much more to save many more lives," he added.
