Israel faces pressure to ease entry of winter supplies into Gaza

Israel is facing renewed international pressure to ease restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza following heavy winter rains that flooded displacement camps and left residents struggling to drain water from their tents.

The criticism has come from the European Union and the Trump administration’s Board of Peace (BoP), which say Israel must do more to address worsening conditions in the Strip.

Israel, however, maintains that large quantities of winter supplies and other humanitarian aid have already entered Gaza, accusing Hamas of obstructing their distribution to residents.

The Council of the European Union issued a statement on Saturday expressing “grave concern” over what it described as a “humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” declaring that “The severe flooding and winter conditions that have struck Gaza are further aggravating the living conditions of an already exhausted population.”

The statement reiterated demands that Israel fully open all of the land border crossings into Gaza and “allow immediate, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid,” along with taking other steps.

Israel's Foreign Ministry responded to the EU statement on social media, declaring that "The EU's statement is completely unbalanced and rewards Hamas's refusal to disarm, as mandated by the Peace Plan. [The statement] also ignores Hamas’s continuous abuse of hospitals for terror operations and its diversion of humanitarian aid to military infrastructure."

The response followed an earlier statement by the IDF declaring that large quantities of tents, food, warm clothing and other winter supplies had already been sent into the Strip. The military accused Hamas of preventing these supplies from being distributed to the general population for free, as intended, and instead charging residents for them.

According to the IDF, approximately 93,000 tents have entered Gaza among supplies transported on some 8,600 trucks.

The shipments also included medical supplies and equipment such as dialysis fluids, defibrillators, incubators, ultrasound machines and physiotherapy equipment.

"Hamas remains the primary obstacle to the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip and a different future for its residents. Hamas continues to exploit humanitarian infrastructure and incoming humanitarian aid, particularly the winter supplies being brought into the Gaza Strip. As long as Hamas does not disarm, the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip will not be possible," the military said.

Criticism of Israel also came from the Trump administration’s Board of Peace, which said the measures taken so far were insufficient, warning that “The situation no longer represents simply a threat posed by the approaching winter, but an immediate humanitarian emergency.”

Hamas also addressed the damage caused by the storms. On Nov. 8, the terror group declared that around 70,000 tents and related infrastructure in Gaza had suffered severe damage from heavy rains and winds, estimating the losses at approximately $3 million.

Meanwhile, COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body responsible for coordinating government activities in the territories, outlines the registration and approval process for international organizations seeking to operate in Gaza.

According to COGAT’s website, an international organization must apply “to the Ministry of Welfare in Israel, and after a process of registration and approval for operations as an international organization in Israel, as well as in the Judea and Samaria area and in the Gaza Strip, an IVA (Israeli Verified Agency) number is issued and the agency is authorized to operate in the region.”

COGAT lists the “routine activities” of these organizations as “providing educational and medical services, psychological services, financial aid, food aid, job creation, education for youth and for vulnerable populations, housing, business and economic development, consultancy and funding for projects.”

The agency also lists “Emergency activity” as including "[the construction] of shelters, transporting and protecting the population, distributing food, coordinating ambulances.”