UN emergency aid chief: New Gaza aid supplies a 'drop in the ocean'

UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher warned on Monday that the limited aid deliveries recently allowed into the Gaza Strip fall far short of what is urgently needed.

Fletcher confirmed that Israel permitted some aid trucks to enter the embattled coastal strip on Monday. "But it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed," he said in a statement.

He stressed the need for significantly more aid to be allowed into Gaza in the coming days. "We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms," Fletcher said.

The priority now, he added, is to deliver aid to those most in need. However, he warned that the prolonged blockade has created such severe shortages that the risk of looting remains high.

According to the UN, nine trucks were authorized by Israeli authorities to enter Gaza, while COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for Palestinian affairs, said only five trucks actually reached the area.