Gaza - Martin Griffiths Begins Round of Visits Aimed at Opening Second Aid Route via Kerem Shalom : Reuters

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths will travel to Amman on Wednesday for talks on potentially reopening the Kerem Shalom border crossing to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Israel. Before the current conflict, Kerem Shalom was used for over 60% of truckloads entering Gaza.

Currently, the only route for aid into Gaza is the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border, which was not designed for cargo. Griffiths stated "We need more than one crossing" and said exploring reopening Kerem Shalom should be discussed, as it would "hugely add scope to the response." 

However, a Western diplomat said there is no prospect of Israel opening Kerem Shalom for now, as their troops are located in the area. Israel has not yet commented.

Since last week's fragile ceasefire, around 200 aid trucks have entered Gaza daily through Rafah, but this is far below the level needed. Griffiths acknowledged more aid is required in Gaza but delivery faces constraints beyond UN control.

The UN has scaled up aid delivery to Gaza since the ceasefire, including reaching cut-off northern areas. But Griffiths stressed the need for reliable, scaled-up aid mechanisms involving all partners, more entry points, and resumed private sector activities.

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