Posted on 10/13/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Sunday urged Israel to increase efforts in allowing humanitarian aid into northern Gaza.
Her call followed claims from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) that no aid has reached that region of the Strip for nearly two weeks.
“The UN reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly two weeks. Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water, and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected,” Harris wrote in a post on X.
On Friday, WFP told CNN that no food has entered northern Gaza since the start of October, putting one million people at risk of going hungry.
The agency said that in August, approximately 700 hundred aid trucks entered northern Gaza. In September, only 400 aid trucks entered, after commercial operations ceased at the Allenby Crossing on the border with Jordan, the WFP added.
When food does enter the Strip, it is often taken by Hamas, as shown in video footage published by Channel 12 News last week.
Out of approximately 100 aid trucks which entered Gaza, Hamas took over 47 of them.
The footage, which was filmed in Rafah, shows the trucks moving with the humanitarian aid, which does not reach the civilians. The terrorists can be seen taking over the trucks, and firing at anyone who attempts to approach.
The aid taken over by Hamas is then sold for a high price, and the money used to fund the terror group's continued operations.
Harris has repeatedly said that de-escalation was needed in the Middle East, including late last week.
Earlier in the week, Harris said in an interview with Stephen Colbert that there has been some progress on a Gaza ceasefire deal but it is "meaningless" unless a deal is actually reached.
“Close means that a lot of the details have been worked out ... but it is meaningless unless a deal is actually reached. So I don't want to suggest to you that we should be applauded for getting close at times to a deal," Harris told Colbert.
"We must have a ceasefire and a hostage deal as immediately as possible," she added.