By Abdul Jabbar Aburas
GAZA, Palestine (AA) - The government media office in the Gaza Strip on Saturday said that it expects the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need in various areas of the strip.
In a statement, Salama Maarouf, the head of the office, said: "With the start of the entry through the Rafah crossing of the first limited convoy of basic needs, we are waiting for UNRWA - as the receiving party - to carry out its duty of delivering aid to those in need in various areas in the Gaza Strip."
Earlier, the first convoy of relief trucks began to enter the Gaza Strip from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.
Maarouf stressed the importance of “establishing a safe corridor that works around the clock to provide the humanitarian needs and essential services that have become completely missing” in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.
He said the corridor should also "allow the wounded to exit (the Gaza Strip) in order to receive appropriate medical care in light of the fact that it cannot be provided by the health system (in Gaza) at the moment,” he said.
"We warn that this limited convoy will not be able to change the humanitarian catastrophe that the Gaza Strip is experiencing," he added.
The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
At least 4,137 Palestinians, including 1,524 children and 1,000 women have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. That figure stands at more than 1,400 in Israel.