Israel’s Troop Presence in Gaza Raises Concerns Over Aid Shortages

Israeli troops are stationed in more than half of the territory of the Gaza Strip, and the volume of humanitarian aid to the enclave is two times less than stipulated by the ceasefire agreement, stated the Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Observer to the UN in Vienna, Salah Abdel Shafi. “Israeli troops are present in more than 50% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. In these territories, Israel is systematically destroying buildings and entire residential areas,” he said. He noted that the volume of humanitarian aid that should arrive is 600 trucks per day but in fact less than 300 are passing. As a result, there remains an acute shortage of medicines, medical supplies, and food in the sector. Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas maintain a shaky truce in Gaza, with West Jerusalem considering all options for event development if the agreement breaks down. US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would be resolved but doubted it would happen according to the two-state model, stating that the Palestinian Hamas movement would be destroyed if necessary. Earlier, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a return to observing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after a series of attacks on dozens of targets of Palestinian radical movements. According to the IDF, the attacks were directed against the command level of the groups operating in the area.