JERUSALEM 

Israel claimed on Tuesday that it opened a new crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where Tel Aviv has been instituting a starvation and genocide policy for more than 400 days.

“A new humanitarian aid crossing Into Gaza - the Kissufim crossing - started operating today,” the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories wrote on X.

It noted that 125 aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday via the Kerem Shalom and Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossings, with 27 headed to northern Gaza.

However, Palestinian authorities accused the Israeli army on Tuesday of allowing armed gangs to loot the trucks in the blockaded enclave.

“The army allows armed gangs to steal aid trucks and goods and impose fees,” Ismail Thawabteh, who heads the Gaza Media Office, told Anadolu.

He said Israeli forces prevent Palestinian police and private security companies from securing the trucks and threaten to target them.

“This strategy serves the (Israeli) deliberate policy of starvation against the Palestinians, and confirms that the goal is to prevent the delivery of aid,” he added.

The US urged Israel to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days or face consequences in an Oct. 13 letter. The letter, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, conveyed "deep concern" about Gaza's deteriorating situation and urged immediate, sustained action by Israel to address it.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, in October 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 43,700 people have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 103,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​