Aid Pours into the Gaza Strip

As early as Wednesday, Reuters reported the greatly increased flow of aid into the Gaza Strip, stating that 630 aid trucks went in on Sunday, 915 on Monday and 897 on Tuesday - more than 2,400 trucks in the first three days of the ceasefire.

But with the fighting stopped, there are still challenges in getting aid to the people who need it, with many roads damaged and thousands of people on the move.

Another problem for ordinary Gazans is the continued theft of aid by Hamas, whom they accuse of diverting it. One civilian told Israel’s N12 news,

"We see no aid or goods at reasonable prices."

Another Gazan civilian said:

"Hamas steals the aid and resells it to merchants,
who set the prices they want at the expense of the entire population."

In contrast, a senior United Nations (UN) aid official told Reuters on Thursday that he was "very happy" with how the first few days of deliveries had gone but was concerned about funding.

"We need immediate funding to make sure that we continue providing the aid for the 42 days,
but also after the 42 days, because we’re hopeful that we’ll go from Phase One to Phase Two."

The UN is prioritising food, healthcare items, and shelter repairs, and is said to be seeking $4.1 billion for aid to the Palestinians this year, of which nearly 90 percent is set to go to Gaza.

Will fabulously wealthy Hamas officials or the Iranian regime be forced to pay any of this or will they make yet more profit from the destruction they have wrought?

The following video report was published by the Associated Press.