Food Aid to Gaza Diminishes as Israel Implements New Aid Regulations – Sources, By Reuters

Food Supplies to Gaza Significantly Decline Amid New Regulations

By David Gauthier-Villars and John Davison

Food supplies in Gaza have sharply decreased in recent weeks due to new customs regulations imposed by Israeli authorities on certain humanitarian aid, combined with a reduction in commercial deliveries, as reported by individuals involved in facilitating the transfer of goods to the conflict-stricken region.

The new customs rule affects truck convoys organized by the United Nations transporting aid from Jordan to Gaza through Israel. Sources familiar with the situation indicated that representatives from relief organizations must now complete a form providing passport details and accept liability for any inaccuracies in a shipment. Relief agencies have pushed back against this requirement, which was announced in mid-August, citing concerns that signing the form could put their staff at risk of legal repercussions if aid were to fall into the hands of Hamas or other adversaries of Israel.

Consequently, shipments via the Jordan route—a primary supply line for Gaza—have been stalled for two weeks. However, deliveries through Cyprus and Egypt have not been impacted by this dispute.

In tandem, Israeli authorities have limited commercial food shipments to Gaza over fears that Hamas was profiting from these trade activities, according to insiders and industry sources.

Data from both the United Nations and the Israeli government reveal that food and aid deliveries in September reached their lowest levels in seven months. The Israeli military’s humanitarian unit, Cogat, which manages aid and commercial shipments to Gaza, confirmed that no U.N.-chartered convoy has departed from Jordan to Gaza since September 19, although a spokesperson stated that Israel is not actively blocking goods.

The spokesperson redirected inquiries about the form dispute to Israel’s Ministry of Economy, which did not respond to requests for comment. Additionally, a representative from the U.N.’s emergency response agency declined to comment, while Cogat did not provide answers related to commercial shipments.

These dual restrictions have raised renewed worries among aid workers about the worsening food insecurity faced by the 2.3 million residents of Gaza. Nour al-Amassi, a doctor in southern Gaza, described the current food situation as among the worst during the ongoing conflict, reporting that his clinic treats 50 children daily for various ailments, of which approximately 15 are malnourished.

According to Cogat statistics, the average number of trucks delivering food and other goods to Gaza dropped to about 130 per day in September, down from around 150 since the conflict began and far below the approximately 600 trucks needed daily to prevent famine during wartime.

Food insecurity has emerged as a critical concern since the war escalated following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 last year. In May, prosecutors from the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister, asserting suspicions that Israeli authorities had utilized "the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare." Israeli officials have denied these allegations, asserting that they facilitate food deliveries to Gaza despite the challenging conditions. They submitted formal challenges to the International Criminal Court in September regarding the legality of the prosecutor’s request and the court’s jurisdiction.

Aid deliveries to Gaza have historically used various routes that have fluctuated in operational status throughout the war, according to U.N. and Israeli officials. Before the conflict, the primary route involved transferring aid to southern Gaza via Egypt after undergoing Israeli inspections. However, this route has seen a significant decline in deliveries since Israel’s military operations in Rafah began in May due to increased insecurity.

An initiative led by the U.S. to deliver humanitarian aid by boat was launched in May but was ultimately abandoned in July due to storm damage. Some of the shipments initially designated for this route have yet to arrive in Gaza, even after being redirected through the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Israel opened the Jordan route in December, allowing trucks to transport goods directly from Jordan to Gaza. This corridor had become a reliable supply route until the recent suspension, aided by a simplified customs process that Israeli authorities agreed to for U.N. agencies. However, in mid-August, Cogat informed U.N. agencies that this expedited procedure had been revoked, resulting in added costs and delays.

The introduction of the new customs form has further complicated the situation, with sources noting that the U.N. had proposed an alternative that they hoped Israel would accept.

In addition to these restrictions, there has been a noticeable decline in commercial supplies entering Gaza. Commercial imports from local traders previously constituted the majority of the around 500 trucks entering the territory daily before the conflict. After the outbreak of war, Israel suspended most commercial supplies but resumed food imports from Israeli-controlled areas in May to help supplement fresh and nutritious products not included in aid shipments.

Despite this resumption, commercial shipments plummeted from an average of 140 trucks per day in July to only 80 in September. In the last two weeks of September, reports indicated that the daily average further dipped to around 45 trucks.

Authorities in Israel had previously promoted commercial supply, stating that it was a more efficient option compared to U.N. aid. However, this position shifted after realizing that Hamas had been able to impose taxes on certain commercial shipments and seize some of the food supplies.