"Zikim crossing, the main entry point into the devastated northern Gaza Strip, has been reopened to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into the region, according to Israeli officials. The announcement on Wednesday came two months after Israel shut the crossing, and followed repeated calls from United Nations aid agencies to allow aid to flow directly into the hard-hit northern part of Gaza."
"Under the ceasefire brokered by the United States, which took effect on October 10, aid deliveries were to be significantly ramped up, with at least 600 trucks a day supposed to enter the Strip. But volumes have been much less than that, and the UN has warned that the hunger crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic, as aid convoys to the north, where famine was declared in August, face a slow and difficult route from the south."
"Today, the Zikim crossing has been opened for the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, said on X. COGAT said humanitarian aid entering through Zikim, supplied by the UN and other international organisations, would be subject to the usual Israeli security checks before entry and distributed through the UN. A COGAT spokesperson told the AFP news agency that the crossing would remain open permanently."
Zikim crossing has reopened to allow humanitarian aid trucks into northern Gaza after two months of closure, with COGAT overseeing entry and distribution through the UN. Humanitarian shipments through Zikim will undergo Israeli security checks before entry. The reopening followed repeated calls from UN aid agencies and came amid a US-brokered ceasefire that aimed for at least 600 trucks a day, although actual aid volumes have been much lower. The UN warns the hunger crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic and famine was declared in the north in August, while convoys face slow, difficult routes from the south.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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