Israel has only authorized a 'teaspoon' of aid for Gaza, UN chief says

STORY: :: The UN chief says Israel has only authorized a 'teaspoon' of aid for Gaza:: May 23, 2025:: Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General"For nearly 80 days, Israel blocked the entry of life-saving international aid. As the world's leading hunger assessment found, the entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine. // All the aid authorized until now amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required. The needs are massive and the obstacles are staggering. // And the big picture is that without rapid, reliable, safe, and sustained aid access, more people will die. And the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound. // The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting. Israel says about 300 trucks of aid have entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing since it lifted an 11-week blockade on Gaza on Monday, but Guterres said that so far only about a third of those truckloads have been transported from the crossing to warehouses within Gaza due to insecurity.Israel has allowed aid deliveries by the U.N. and other aid groups to briefly resume until a new U.S.-backed distribution model - run by the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - is up and running by the end of the month. The U.N. says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and that it will not be involved.Israel said its blockade had been aimed in part at stopping Palestinian militants Hamas from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied stealing aid. The GHF plan involves using private security contractors to transport aid to so-called secure hubs for distribution by civilian humanitarian teams.