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The Jerusalem Post

'Lying is a sign of desperation': COGAT slams UNRWA chief's misinformation

 
 A general view of the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side with a truck carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, November 12, 2023. (photo credit: REUTERS/HADEER MAHMOUD)
A general view of the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side with a truck carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, November 12, 2023.
(photo credit: REUTERS/HADEER MAHMOUD)

As of Monday, since the beginning of the war, 16,405 trucks of humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip.

"Lying is a sign of desperation," the Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) replied in a Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter, to an earlier post by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.

COGAT is the official Israeli unit tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria, according to its website. 

"A truck loaded with aid has just been turned back because it had scissors used in children's medical kits," Lazzarini claimed in his post. "Medical scissors are now added to a long list of banned items the Israeli Authorities classify as 'for dual use.' The list includes basic lifesaving items." Philippe Lazzarini is the Commissioner-General of UNRWA. 

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COGAT rebutted, "Over 16,000 trucks entered Gaza, with only 1.5% not permitted. Most were re-coordinated and entered later. Your info sources are wrong. We are constantly in touch with UN orgs and haven't heard a word about it."

Humanitarian aid in Gaza

As of Monday, since the beginning of the war, 16,405 trucks of humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip, including 203,300 tons of food, 18,980 tons of medical supplies, and 26,160 tons of water, among other necessities, according to the COGAT website. 

 Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, attends a news conference during an informal EU Development Ministers Council, in Brussels, Belgium February 12, 2024.  (credit: JOHANNA GERON/REUTERS)
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, attends a news conference during an informal EU Development Ministers Council, in Brussels, Belgium February 12, 2024. (credit: JOHANNA GERON/REUTERS)

The humanitarian effort is coordinated between Israel, Egypt, the United States, and the United Nations.

UNRWA provides humanitarian assistance to Gazans. However, the organization has recently come under fire in light of reports that showed a number of members of its staff also belonged to Hamas and participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel. 

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