GHF said it had distributed about 8,000 food boxes, equivalent to 462,000 meals, after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid into the war-devastated enclave.

Thousands of people flocked to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites in Rafah city to secure food packages. Source: Reuters

The foundation said at one point the number of people seeking aid was so great that its team had to pull back to allow people to “take aid safely and dissipate,” and to avoid casualties.

But the amount of aid that has entered the densely populated coastal enclave has been a fraction of the 500-600 trucks that United Nations agencies estimate are needed daily.

Israel has eased its blockade, allowing a trickle of aid trucks from international agencies into Gaza. Source: Reuters

GHF said it is looking to expand its operations to deliver aid to approximately two million civilians in the “near term”.

There are also claims that trucks from other food relief organisations like World Central Kitchen are being held at the border to Gaza.

Aid includes pre-packaged food rations, potable water, hygiene kits, blankets, and other “necessary humanitarian” supplies. Source: Reuters

What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?

These four centres would each support up to 300,000 civilians initially, with room to expand to around 500,000 each on average, GHF said in a report.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the scenes out of Rafah as tragic and said the US and Israel must stop efforts to undermine UN aid work.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations is crucial to avert famine. Source: Reuters

“Frankly, these images are heartbreaking to say the least,” Dujarric said.

Why is Israel controlling aid to Gaza?

Later on Tuesday, the Hamas media office accused the Israeli military of killing at least three Palestinians and wounding 46 others near one of the distribution sites, while seven people remained missing.