Largest Aid Convoy Enters Gaza Since War Began Amid Mounting Pressure On Israel

TOPLINE

A total of 322 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday—the most in a single day since the war began—the Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed on Sunday, as Israel faces increased scrutiny over its treatment of aid workers that has resulted in over 200 deaths so far.

KEY FACTS

A total of 228 of the trucks that crossed into Gaza on Sunday were carrying food, said the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories in a statement on social media, the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s department that handles humanitarian aid shipments.

The rapid increase in aid deliveries follows increased scrutiny on the process after seven aid workers with World Conflict Kitchen were killed in Israeli air strikes on Monday.

One of the seven international aid workers was an American citizen, prompting the White House to call for “specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.”

Following a tense conversation with President Biden on Thursday, Israel reopened the Erez Crossing, the large border entry between northern Gaza and Israel, and announced it would allow aid shipments to flow through the port of Ashdod.

KEY BACKGROUND

The increased pressure to protect international aid workers comes after the Israeli government apologized for the deaths of the seven World Conflict Kitchen workers on Monday. After an IDF investigation, the Israeli military called the attack a “grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification,” and dismissed two senior officers over the strike. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also apologized, adding that “we will do everything in our power to ensure that such tragedies do not occur in the future.” José Andrés, the celebrity chef and founder of World Conflict Kitchen, told ABC News’s Martha Raddatz the attack was “unforgivable” and called for Israel to face “a real reckoning on how they conduct war.” Andres thanked Israeli military for releasing the results of the investigation so quickly, but also called for an independent investigation into the attack. “The perpetrator cannot be investigating himself,” Andrés said.

BIG NUMBER

More than 220. That’s how many international aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, according to the most recent U.N. estimates. Speaking on Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation into the other deaths. “We want to know why each one of them was killed,” Guterres demanded after a meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

TANGENT

Although a record number of aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, aid shipments have faced other issues making it into the besieged territory during the war. In February, a group of far-right Israeli activists camped out in front of aid convoys attempting to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Aid shipments have also been threatened by members of Netanyahu’s government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Netanyahu’s coalition, intervened to block a shipment of flour bound for Gaza from the U.S.