UN Proposes Plan to Expedite Aid to Gaza

A new mechanism has been proposed by the United Nations to speed up the delivery of aid to Gaza. 

This mechanism suggests adding a new layer of screening and tracking of shipments and opening a new inspection facility at Rafah.

 The scheme costs $61.2 million and was required by a UN Security Council resolution in December. However, the proposal does not include the opening of any new crossing points from Israel into Gaza, nor does it address the issue of security, which are two of the biggest issues limiting delivery, especially at a time of deepening famine.

The proposal also focuses on streamlining the current inspection process overseen by Israel, referred to as the “relevant state authority” in the document. It also provides means of tracking shipments as they move inside Gaza.

UNICEF has reported that acute malnutrition among babies in northern Gaza has doubled in February. Now, 31% of children under the age of two suffer from acute malnutrition, which is one in three children, and this is a significant increase from 15.6% in January, according to the agency.