International community cannot continue to fail people in Gaza: UN official

The international community cannot continue to fail people in Gaza, a senior UN official said on Saturday.

Welcoming a 20-truck humanitarian aid convoy that entered Gaza on Saturday morning, Martin Griffiths, the UN under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs, said on X: "The delivery follows days of deep and intense negotiations with all relevant sides to make sure that aid operation into Gaza resumes as quickly as possible and with the right conditions."

Earlier, a humanitarian convoy, which comprises 20 trucks, began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the first since the armed conflict broke out between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Griffiths also expressed confidence that this delivery of humanitarian assistance will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies including food, water, medicine, and fuel to the people of Gaza.

"Two weeks since the start of hostilities, the humanitarian situation in Gaza - already precarious - has reached catastrophic levels. It is critical that aid reaches people in need wherever they are across Gaza, and at the right scale," Griffiths stressed.

He added: "The people of Gaza have endured decades of suffering. The international community cannot continue to fail them."

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

More than 4,137 Palestinians, including 1,524 children and 1,000 women have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. That figure stands at more than 1,400 in Israel.