
Palestinians stand atop trucks carrying humanitarian aid coming in from the Karem Abu Salem border crossing and arriving in al-Shoka, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
Nearly 900 trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire Tuesday, the United Nations said. That's significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal.
Muhannad Hadi, who returned to Jerusalem from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon, told U.N. reporters by video that it was one of the happiest days of his 35-year humanitarian career to see Palestinians in the streets looking ahead with hope, some heading home and some starting to clean up the roads.
In his talks with families at a communal kitchen run by the U.N. World Food Program and elsewhere, he said, they all told him they needed humanitarian assistance but want to go home, to work and earn money.
“They don’t like the fact that they have been depending on humanitarian aid,” Hadi said.
Palestinians talked about resuming education for their children and about the need for shelter, blankets and new clothes for women who have been wearing the same clothes for more than a year. He said a shipment of tents is expected in the coming days.
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