The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are constructing a new land crossing from Israel to northern Gaza, according to a statement released Thursday.
The Israeli military said the new northern crossing will “enable more aid to flow directly to civilians in the areas that have been challenging for trucks to access.״
The United Nations and other humanitarian agencies have reported a catastrophic humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is imminent due to a lack of aid deliveries.
The report of a new crossing comes as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said late Wednesday that Israel was planning to “flood Gaza with aid,” amid intensifying pressure from the United States to urgently increase humanitarian assistance to the Gaza strip.
COGAT, the Israeli agency that coordinates the inspection and delivery of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, said the daily number of trucks entering Gaza has doubled from last week’s numbers, but UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian affairs which tracks the flow of aid into Gaza, has not reported a similar increase.