UN official blames bureaucracy, Israeli blockades for Gaza aid crisis

DDM News

The United Nations’ top humanitarian coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has raised alarm over severe bureaucratic and political roadblocks preventing lifesaving aid from reaching Gaza’s starving population.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Fletcher, in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, described the situation as dire, with fewer than 100 aid trucks gaining entry into Gaza daily, a massive drop from the 600 to 700 trucks allowed during the brief Israel-Hamas ceasefire earlier this year.

Fletcher, who currently oversees UN aid operations in the region, said Israeli restrictions, coupled with what he termed “massive bureaucratic impediments,” are significantly disrupting aid flow to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, many of whom are on the brink of famine.

He noted that Israel has signaled plans to revoke the visa of the senior UN official coordinating logistics on the ground, a move he described as “deeply alarming” and counterproductive.

Despite these challenges, Fletcher affirmed the UN’s commitment to delivering aid into the war-torn enclave. However, he stressed the need for stronger diplomatic pressure to ease restrictions, specifically pointing to the United States as the most influential player in pushing the Israeli government to act.

“If anyone can shift this government, it is of course the Americans,” he said, highlighting the visit of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and growing global criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the humanitarian crisis.

Fletcher also addressed concerns about Hamas allegedly looting humanitarian aid. While condemning Hamas, he clarified that their interference has not massively disrupted UN convoys.

He emphasized that much of the looting being witnessed is a desperate act by civilians dying of hunger, driven by the lack of consistent food distribution.

The UN official reiterated that airdrops are not a viable alternative to ground aid, arguing, “You can get the same amount of aid onto one truck as you can onto one plane.”

Photos circulating online that appear to show UN aid sitting idle were explained as stockpiles that cannot be moved due to either security conditions or administrative restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities.

The worsening conditions come as Gaza continues to suffer from widespread destruction, limited access to water and electricity, and the collapse of health infrastructure due to ongoing Israeli bombardments since the October 2023 escalation.

As international outrage intensifies, human rights groups and UN agencies continue to call for an immediate and sustained humanitarian corridor into Gaza, with minimal restrictions and full protection for aid workers.

The current trickle of trucks, experts warn, will do little to reverse the growing starvation, unless there is a “flood of aid,” as Fletcher put it, to meet the overwhelming needs on the ground.

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