United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke said on Friday that the agency is in "deep and advanced negotiations" to ensure the humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip "as quickly as possible and with the right conditions."
"We are encouraged by reports that the different sides are nearing an agreement on the modalities, and that a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so," Laerke said. According to previous reports, the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will not open today due to roadworks. According to OCHA, at least 30% of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been either destroyed or damaged, while the estimated 1 million internally displaced persons live in "increasingly dire conditions."
