Israeli military says 276 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Friday

COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for administering Israeli policy in Gaza and the West Bank, disclosed this information.

In an official post on Twitter, COGAT revealed the information while sharing a video of trucks entering Gaza carrying humanitarian supplies.

#aid for gaza Tomorrow, April 18:

276 aid trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza.

Air drops: 144 pallets containing thousands of food aid were dropped in northern Gaza.

Northern Gaza: 110 trucks coordinated, 104 by the private sector, and 6 by @wfp Through the fence road. pic.twitter.com/6do3iS6c9U

– COGAT (@cogatonline) 19 April 2024

“Nine trucks of medical aid were coordinated to the Emirati hospital, and nine trucks of medical aid were coordinated to the ICRC hospital,” the COGAT statement said.

Additionally, COGAT reported that, in addition to ground transportation, 144 pallets carrying thousands of aid packages were airdropped into northern Gaza on Friday, according to CNN.

Additionally, COGAT confirmed that there has been an increase in activity on the new routes, with 20 trucks using the Jordan route and eight trucks transporting flour coming through the Ashdod port in Israel.

Israel said last week it had begun taking several major steps to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza amid intense pressure from the United States, according to CNN.

However, humanitarian officials said progress was slow and more needed to be done as warnings of famine grew in the Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged both sides to stop retaliating after Israel launched a military attack on Iran, a spokesman said in a statement on Friday.

“The Secretary-General reiterates that the time has come to stop the dangerous cycle of reprisals in the Middle East,” the statement said.

The Secretary-General condemned any acts of retaliation and appealed to the international community to work together to prevent any such developments that could have devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond.

Apart from talking about the number of casualties, the Health Ministry on Friday revealed that the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached at least 34,012 after more than six months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants .

The ministry said that 42 Palestinians were killed following Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours.

It said another 63 people were injured in the same period, bringing the total number of injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war to 76,833.

Earlier on Friday, Israel launched a potentially lethal military strike on Iran, a US official told CNN.

Although no significant damage was recorded, Iran and Israel have not said where the attack came from. State media reported Friday morning that Iran's air defense systems were activated at several locations in the Iranian city of Isfahan after multiple explosions were heard near the airport and a military base.

The missile launches followed Iran's attacks on targets around Israel on Saturday last week, in which the nation fired a barrage of more than 300 unmanned drones and missiles, according to Israeli military officials.