“The Times of Israel” reported that a convoy from the World Food Programme entered northern Gaza via the new military road.

The Moroccan food supplies reached Ben Gurion Airport before being handed over to the Red Crescent at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Israeli media described the entry of Moroccan aid into Gaza under occupation supervision and through Israeli airports as a gift from Netanyahu’s office to Morocco on the occasion of Ramadan.

New land route

The United Nations used a new land route on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, to deliver food directly to northern Gaza for the first time in three weeks.

This move came amid increasing international pressure on the occupation to allow more aid into the sector amid warnings of an impending famine.

The coordinator of the Israeli government’s activities stated that a convoy of six trucks carrying aid entered northern Gaza via the new military road.

The Israeli occupation uses this road, which extends from the border near the southern settlement of Be’eri to the Gaza coast, to carry out operations in northern and central Gaza.

The office coordinating the Israeli government’s activities in the occupied Palestinian territories stated that the trucks carrying aid from the UN World Food Programme entered early through a gate along the border fence, which opens onto a new road “as part of an experimental experience.”

The office added that the aid underwent thorough inspection by Israeli authorities at the Kerem Shalom border crossing on the southern border of Gaza before entering the northern part of the sector.

Food for 25,000 people

The spokesperson for the World Food Programme, Shada El Maghribi, claimed that the convoy delivered enough food for 25,000 people to Gaza City. This was the first delivery operation carried out by the World Food Programme to the north since February 20, proving that transporting food by land is possible.

El Maghribi stated, “We hope to expand the scope of aid, and we need access to be regular and consistent, especially for the residents of northern Gaza who are on the brink of famine… We need direct entry points to the north.”

Earlier on Tuesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned that the United States is working with Israel to increase the volume of aid by land through a new crossing, with the first trucks arriving last night and we need that.”

An Israeli diplomatic source mentioned that Morocco sent 40 tons of humanitarian supplies to Gaza via Ben Gurion Airport, in the latest attempt to diversify aid routes to Gaza.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat stated in a press release that “Morocco is the first country to transport its humanitarian aid through this unprecedented land route.”

The United Nations states that the aid entering the sector is only a small part of the supplies needed to support Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people.