New York, Oct. 15 (Petra) – UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief Tom Fletcher on Wednesday urged the opening of additional crossings to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, calling for a practical and genuine approach to remove the remaining obstacles.

In a statement, Fletcher said, "Throughout this crisis, we have emphasized that denying aid to civilians is not a bargaining chip facilitating the delivery of relief is a legal obligation." He noted that humanitarian teams earlier this week began scaling up aid deliveries after months of frustration and obstruction, with shipments of food, medicine, fuel, water, cooking gas, and tents reaching those in need. However, he pointed out that there had been a renewed decline in implementation as of yesterday.

Fletcher referred to the UN’s 60-day plan to expand life-saving assistance, adding that he remains in the region to coordinate the plan’s implementation.

//Petra// AF