AID supplies to Palestinians in Gaza are still being blocked by the Israelis, it was reported today. 

Trucks continued to be held up at the Kissufim crossing between Gaza and Israel, with deliveries waiting for a green light from Israel to pass through.

The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas allows for 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day. But fewer than 300 are actually making the crossing.

The affordability of the little food that does get into Gaza has left thousands of Palestinians in crisis, with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warning on X that the death toll of Israel’s two-year campaign of destruction on Gaza’s farmlands has left many families without income.

UNRWA said: “Families who once lived from their land now have no income.”

The trucks seen making their way into Gaza since the start of the ceasefire one week ago carry commercial goods, not humanitarian aid, according to eye-witnesses. 

This leaves many Palestinian families unable to access the fresh food they desperately need.

“Until Gaza’s agricultural sector can be rebuilt, there must be an unrestricted flow of aid,” UNRWA said.

The aid shortfalls follow an Israeli attack on the offices of an occupied West Bank Palestinian union office. 

The Israeli government is accusing Hamas of not moving fast enough to return the dead bodies of Israelis who were taken captive on October 7 2023.

But when Israeli soldiers were detonating tons of explosives to level neighbourhoods and communities, there were warnings that this was going to complicate the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages.

Meanwhile, the International Trade Union Confederation condemned today an attack by Israeli armed forces on the Nablus offices of the Palestinian General Federation Of Trade Unions on Wednesday.

ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle said: “This attack took place on Palestinian territory and constitutes a serious violation of international law and of the fundamental right to freedom of association. 

“It is an assault on a legitimate, democratic, representative institution of working people. Trade unions are a force for peace, dialogue, and negotiation. They are not military targets.”

Slamming the ransacking and vandalising of the office, Mr Triangle said: “We demand an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into this incident and full accountability for those responsible.”