UN calls for Israel to open more Gaza crossings for surge in aid deliveries

16/10/2025 6:35

The United Nations is seeking a dramatic boost in humanitarian aid for Gaza, saying the hundreds of relief trucks cleared to enter the devastated enclave under a ceasefire were nowhere near the thousands needed to ease a humanitarian disaster.



Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and its top emergency relief coordinator, told Reuters in an interview that thousands of humanitarian vehicles must enter weekly to avert further catastrophe.



"We have 190,000 metric tons of provisions on the borders waiting to go in and we're determined to deliver. That's essential life-saving food and nutrition," Fletcher said.



Israel's two-year air and ground war against Palestinian militant group Hamas drove almost all Gaza's 2.2 million people from their homes, and famine is present in the north, global monitors say.