Israel reopens key aid crossing to northern Gaza

The route was closed back in September, effectively shutting off aid to northern Gaza, with the now-defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation system only operating in the south.

The UN's humanitarian agency, Ocha, recently reported improvements in the conditions within Gaza, including more than 50 per cent of families reporting increased access to food since the ceasefire, with Zikim's reopening likely to accelerate the improvement.

It comes after the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared famine in the Gaza City Governorate in August.

The report was disputed by Israel as “fabricated” and claimed it was based on flawed data from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

And Mark Zlochin, an independent researcher and data analyst has written in the JC that the IPC “discarded half of the available data and misrepresented what the remainder actually showed.

The JC also subsequently revealed that Andrew Seal, who co-authored the report, posted about a “genocide” in the Strip just three weeks after the October 7 massacres.

On October 28, 2023 – the day after Israel began its ground operation in Gaza – he wrote on X: “Tonight we are witnessing the collapse of perceived moral authority within western governance systems and an implosion of international norms and law [...] #Gaza_Genocide.”

The following month, Seal posted that he opposed removing Hamas from power because it was “unhelpful” in the context of “realistic” peace efforts.

At the time, the IPC said: “These issues must not distract from the most urgent matter: stopping the famine, preventing its spread, and averting further loss of life and catastrophic suffering in the Gaza Strip. Immediate action is imperative. Lives depend on it.

“Neutrality is a core principle of the IPC [...] In Gaza, the analysis was led by the IPC Global Support Unit working with a team of 50 IPC-trained experts from 19 organisations, representing diverse sectors and bringing contextual expertise. The analysis team followed the standard IPC global methodology, and the conclusions were reviewed and validated by the FRC, composed of independent and internationally-recognised famine experts.”