7:44 p.m. ET, March 7, 2024
UN Gaza reconstruction leader says aid needs to be flooded into the enclave
From CNN's Richard Roth and Sahar Akbarzai
Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, told reporters Thursday more humanitarian aid is needed in Gaza.
"We need to flood the market in Gaza with humanitarian goods, delivering aid and relief to the people of Gaza," Kaag said. "We need more crossings."
She added: “When everything goes through one or two crossings, you can’t expect a miracle."
The coordinator noted just counting the number of aid trucks is not enough.
“We need to know quality, relevance and whether it meets the need plus volume," Kaag said.
With the US working on a port plus delivering by air drops, Kaag said the optimal solution is by land, "it’s easier faster, cheaper.” She said air drops are a "drop in the ocean."
The airdrops are just a symbol of support for civilians in Gaza, "it's far from enough," Kaag told reporters.
She added that air or sea are not a substitute for what needs to be done by land. Kaag said it is important to have a ceasefire, but the people are entitled to food and a level of protection.
More on aid: Only 112 of the 224 UN planned aid missions were facilitated by Israeli authorities and entered Gaza in February, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said on Thursday, citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Dujarric said shelter supplies are needed and that aid workers who deliver the aid face great risks because humanitarians operations have been “impeded by active fighting, bombardment,” and other challenges, the UN said.