The US State Department announced that 304 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, which was the “highest number of trucks in any single day since the conflict began.”
“That number represents a significant improvement, but it is important not just that we see the daily number continue to grow, but that it be sustained over time,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller at a news briefing Monday.
Miller said that the US hopes that 350 trucks will be entering Gaza each day “by later this week.” The official also reiterated that the US would be judging Israel by their results, and would be “observing closely” the new Israeli deconfliction unit “to verify that it operates as intended to ensure humanitarian workers can do their jobs as safely as possible.”
This update comes as CNN reported that initial plans for humanitarian goods to begin flowing into Gaza on Sunday via the Erez crossing have been delayed, and officials are still making logistical preparations to ensure the checkpoint can accommodate truckloads of aid.
Israel approved the reopening of the Erez crossing last week for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, a decision that came soon after US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to allow in aid.
