As criticism grows of the disastrous situation in Gaza and deadly shortage of aid, Israel underlined that more aid is now reaching the strip than before the war began.
"In the past two weeks, an average of 102 food shipments have arrived in the Gaza Strip every day. That is almost 50% more than before Hamas started the war on October 7," government spokesperson Eylon Levy said.
There was a "flood of false reports" that Israel was restricting the amount of aid deliveries, he said. "There are no restrictions. I repeat: none."
Israel is even encouraging donor states to send as much food, water, medicine and shelter equipment as they want, he said on Wednesday.
A United Nations spokesman said in response that it was not enough to count the number of lorries crossing border posts. In the Gaza Strip, the loads had to be transferred to smaller lorries then distributed, said Stephane Dujarric in New York on Thursday. That requires coordination with the Israeli armed forces.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs meanwhile said only half of the 224 aid convoys planned for February reached the areas for which they were intended, and that Israeli support was lacking for the remaining deliveries.
