Israel’s decision to halt daytime military operations along a key aid route into the southern Gaza Strip could help alleviate a severe hunger crisis, relief groups said Sunday, but they cautioned that the effects would be limited unless security improved, more aid routes opened and hostilities with Hamas ended altogether.
Some aid groups expressed skepticism that the Israeli military’s action would be transformative, noting that it had made similar assurances in the past about increasing the flow of aid. In fact, humanitarian officials said, the amount of aid entering Gaza has declined sharply in recent weeks even as the United Nations has said much more is needed.
"We welcome this announcement,” Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office, said Sunday. "Of course, this has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need. We hope this leads to further concrete measures by Israel to address long-standing issues preventing a meaningful humanitarian response in Gaza.”