Israel's body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, COGAT, said on Wednesday that a key crossing into northern Gaza had been opened for the transport of humanitarian aid.

"Today, the Zikim crossing has been opened for the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip," COGAT wrote on X.

The group clarified that all aid trucks supplied by the United Nations or other NGOs would be subject to screenings by Israeli security services. Humanitarian workers have long complained that these checks are overly long and complicated, and that many items are subjected to complicated restrictions.

Once inside the Gaza Strip, the trucks then face the challenge of navigating the bombed out roads and lack of infrastructure. The UN estimates that some 83% of all the structures in Gaza have been at least partially destroyed.

Famine conditions in northern Gaza

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), which is backed by the UN, has described famine conditions in northern Gaza. COGAT has contested that people in Gaza suffer from famine conditions.

In the spring and summer, Israel blocked almost all aid from entering Gaza, causing widespread malnutrition and a critical lack of access to medicine.

The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that at least 68,000 people have died in the Palestinian enclave since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed. Most of the deceased in Gaza were civilians, and some 20,000 were children, humanitarian organization Save the Children said in September. 

Allowing more aid to flow into Gaza was a key part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that was struck in October.

Edited by Sean Sinico