Ammon News - The UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) warned on Tuesday that humanitarian assistance in Gaza is being delayed because aid cargo is routinely deprioritized in favor of commercial goods, as winter storms continue to worsen already dire living conditions for displaced families.

“Despite sustained efforts by the UN and its partners...we continue to provide a response, but the needs outpace the speed with which we can respond,” Olga Cherevko, an OCHA spokesperson, said, according to the UN News website.

She added that the volume of supplies entering the Strip was still limited, and a growing list of items that continue to be blocked by Israeli authorities, including heavy machinery, equipment, and spare parts needed to repair damaged infrastructure.

Cherevko revealed that major constraints persist.

“Inside Gaza, the number of routes available for transporting aid remains limited, as do the crossings through which supplies can enter, she added.

“All of these impediments must be lifted,” she stressed. “We have the capacity to respond, but we are constrained at a time when people’s needs are increasing faster than we can meet them.”

WAFA