GAZA, October 18, 2025 (WAFA) – Hamish Young, UNICEF's Senior Emergency Coordinator, said that the quality of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is as important as its quantity.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, he stressed the need to allow the unrestricted entry of all essential supplies to meet the growing humanitarian needs.
Young said that Palestinians in Gaza need tents, plastic sheeting, and clean drinking water, emphasizing the urgent need to provide fuel and equipment necessary for water production and distribution, as well as pipes to repair wells and desalination plants.
The UN official spoke to Anadolu Agency while waiting for aid trucks with his team on the road leading to the Kissufim crossing, east of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.
"We have 50 trucks waiting for permission to move and bring in medical supplies and hygiene items essential to save children's lives," Young said.
Israel has allowed 653 aid trucks into Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on October 10. This number is significantly less than the 600 trucks allowed to enter per day under the agreement.
On Sunday, 173 aid trucks were allowed to enter, including three cooking gas trucks and six fuel trucks. On Monday and Tuesday, no aid entered, and on Wednesday, 480 trucks were allowed to enter.
The UN official described the situation in the Gaza Strip as catastrophic, noting that all hospitals have been either destroyed or severely damaged, while residents are suffering from severe shortages of food and shelter.
He emphasized that UNICEF needs a significant amount of food supplies to address the effects of famine in northern Gaza, adding, "There is an urgent need to make every effort to bring in all these supplies I'm talking about."
He emphasized that "children in Gaza are in dire need of this support, and we shouldn't sit and wait for these supplies."
He said, "There must be 600 trucks loaded with supplies daily, including a full range of materials from the private sector and commercial suppliers, in addition to vital humanitarian aid provided by UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, and the World Health Organization."
He noted that the Strip also needs about 50 trucks of fuel daily, including cooking gas, which he emphasized is critical for the population of Gaza.
He emphasized that safe access within the Strip is a prerequisite for aid distribution, saying, "We need freedom of movement throughout Gaza so that we can deliver supplies to the most vulnerable children, and to their mothers and the families who care for them."
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