The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as civilian needs mount
Amid calls for more humanitarian trucks to enter the food and medicine-deprived Palestinian enclave of Gaza, UN humanitarians have received permission from Israel for “around 100” more aid trucks to cross into the Strip after only five were let in yesterday, But the scale of relief efforts allowed remains entirely insufficient to meet the urgent needs of people there, humanitarian workers say.
“Not enough. Five trucks, nowhere near. Not enough,” said Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for the UN relief and works agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), in reference to the number of trucks that could cross on Monday. She was speaking to journalists in Geneva from a warehouse full of ready-to-be-delivered supplies in Amman, Jordan, with enough food to feed 200,000 Palestinian civilians for an entire month.
“Everything around me is aid that is supposed to be in the Gaza Strip right now,” explained Louise Wateridge, as warehouses and distribution centers lay empty in Gaza.
“Look at what the UN could do,” she continued. “We've done it: the ceasefire, the bombs stopped, the supplies went in. We reached every area of the Gaza Strip. We reached people who needed it most. We reached children. We reached the elderly. The supplies went everywhere,” Ms. Wateridge said, pointing to the UN’s ability to reach civilians if in the Strip with life-saving aid if only the access is granted and the security situation allows.
Five aid trucks still under Israeli control, OCHA
Since 2 March, Israel has blocked all shipments of basic humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, from entering Gaza. World leaders and humanitarian agencies condemned and pressured Israel to lift the siege.
After an 11-week full blockade that has brought the territory to the brink of famine, Israel cleared nine aid trucks on Monday to cross the Kerem Shalom border, but only five of them actually managed to enter Gaza, said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. Four were unable to enter for logistical reasons, as shipments must pass through several levels of Israeli checks.
“The five trucks that entered are still under Israeli control,” Mr. Laerke said. “We need permission to pick the aid up. That did not happen yesterday. However, this morning we do have the permission to collect those five trucks,” he reported.
The trucks from the World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) carried urgently needed baby food and nutritional supplements for children. Once the aid onboard is collected, it will be distributed through the existing system “that has proven itself”, said Mr. Laerke.
“Simply use the existing system, which used to function very well,” echoed Dr. Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health. “It's really sad to see that inside Gaza, there's a shortage of medicine when the medicine we have outside Gaza is expiring. That's really not acceptable,” he said.
As aid is scarce, desperation is on the rise in Gaza, with “several predictable effects,” according to OCHA. “One is that the insufficient supplies are at greater risk of being looted,” Mr. Laerke said. Looted products end up being sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, and opening access for large quantities of aid would automatically reduce the looting and improve the security situation, he said.
In the face of mounting international objections over the total blockade imposed in March, and condemnation over the risk of widespread famine, Israel started on Monday to allow limited quantities of aid to trickle in, while simultaneously increasing its military activities in Gaza. Palestinian health officials say that hundreds of people have been killed in attacks over the last few days.
“We reiterate our call, first and foremost for a ceasefire and unconditional release of hostages and let the UN and partners do their work. There was a plan and it delivered. There is a plan, and it will deliver,” added Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
Israeli military operations in Gaza were triggered after the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took some 250 hostages. Fifty-eight hostages are still captive in Gaza, of which 23 are believed to still be alive. The conflict has devastated Gaza, displacing almost all its two million inhabitants. According to the health ministry in Gaza, the offensive has killed at least 53,475 people, most of them women and children.
Ends --
Story: “Gaza health update – OCHA, UNRWA, WHO” – Tuesday 29 May 2025
Speakers:
- Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer and Spokesperson (from Amman)
- Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson
- Dr. Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health
- Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT)
TRT: 03’01”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 29 May 2025 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer and Spokesperson: “Not enough. Five trucks, nowhere near. Not enough. And the follow up would be the evidence of the ceasefire: look what the UN could do. We've done it: the ceasefire, the bomb stopped, the supplies went in. We reached every area of the Gaza Strip. We reached people who needed it most. We reached children. We reached the elderly. The supplies went everywhere.”
- Medium shot: speakers at the podium in the press conference room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: “Yesterday there were nine trucks that were cleared for entry. Out of those nine, five of them actually crossed into Gaza.
- Cutaway: lateral shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: “The five trucks that entered are still under Israeli control, and we need permission to pick it up. That did not happen yesterday. However, this morning we do have the permission to collect those five trucks.”
- Medium lateral shot of the press conference room and control room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer and Spokesperson: “Everything around me is aid that is supposed to be in the Gaza Strip right now. It is really a stark reality from the warehouses that we have in Gaza. Even just this morning, I was looking at footage from colleagues. Everything is empty: the warehouses, the distribution centers, they've been empty for weeks.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Akihiro Seita, UNRWA Director of Health: “It's really sad to see that inside Gaza, there is a shortage of medicine. Outside Gaza, we have medicine and it is expiring. That's really not acceptable. So, simply use the existing system, which used to function very well.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: “Past experience has very clearly showed that the less aid you get in and the less there is properly distributed in Gaza, the more desperation arises. And that has several effects, predictable effects. One is that the insufficient supplies are at greater risk of being looted.”
- Medium shot: speakers at the podium in the press conference room.
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT): “We reiterate our call, first and foremost for a ceasefire and unconditional release of hostages and let the UN and partners do their work. There was a plan and it delivered. There is a plan, and it will deliver.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room and control room.
- Various close shots of journalists at the press conference room.
Similar Stories
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
The deadly legacy of conflicts old and new from Gaza to Sudan and beyond continues to kill and maim civilians on a near-daily basis, mine action workers said on Wednesday, as they appealed for greater support for their lifesaving work in a context of deep funding cuts.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNICEF
Asia: Lives upended in cyclone disasters, ‘extreme’ rainfall on the rise - UN agencies
Across southeast Asia, record-breaking rains and flooding caused by back-to-back tropical storms have claimed hundreds of lives and brought devastation and displacement upon entire communities, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised grave concerns about the recent constitutional amendments adopted in Pakistan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson made the following comment on the most recent killings in the occupied West Bank yesterday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised concerns about the military-controlled election in Myanmar, which starts next month and will be conducted in an atmosphere rife with threats and violence putting the lives of civilians at risk.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Gaza women are ‘last line of protection’ for their families amid attacks, hunger and harsh winter – UN Women
Women in Gaza are ensuring their families’ survival “with nothing but courage and exhausted hands” while violence continues and essentials remain in short supply, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Since the ceasefire began on 27 November 2024, Israeli military strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 127 civilians. Nearly a year later, these attacks continue to increase, causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian structures.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
A new report by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that the prolonged military operation and long-standing restrictions have driven the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory into its most severe contraction on record, wiping out decades of development gains and deepening fiscal and social fragility.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , WFP
Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
Gaza: After Security Council vote humanitarians urge aid scale-up as winter rains hit families hard
Following the UN Security Council’s Monday endorsement of a US peace plan for Gaza, UN humanitarians urged prioritizing aid access under the scheme as severe rains and flooding deepened Palestinian suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.