"Lying is a sign of desperation," the Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) replied in a Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter, to an earlier post by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
COGAT is the official Israeli unit tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria, according to its website.
"A truck loaded with aid has just been turned back because it had scissors used in children's medical kits," Lazzarini claimed in his post. "Medical scissors are now added to a long list of banned items the Israeli Authorities classify as 'for dual use.' The list includes basic lifesaving items." Philippe Lazzarini is the Commissioner-General of UNRWA.
Lying is a sign of desperation, @UNLazzarini, this did not happen.Over 16,000 trucks entered Gaza, with only 1.5% not permitted. Most were re-coordinated and entered later.Your info sources are wrong. We are constantly in touch with @UN orgs and haven't heard a word about it. https://t.co/fYPrm6kqOz
— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 12, 2024
COGAT rebutted, "Over 16,000 trucks entered Gaza, with only 1.5% not permitted. Most were re-coordinated and entered later. Your info sources are wrong. We are constantly in touch with UN orgs and haven't heard a word about it."
Humanitarian aid in Gaza
As of Monday, since the beginning of the war, 16,405 trucks of humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip, including 203,300 tons of food, 18,980 tons of medical supplies, and 26,160 tons of water, among other necessities, according to the COGAT website.
The humanitarian effort is coordinated between Israel, Egypt, the United States, and the United Nations.
UNRWA provides humanitarian assistance to Gazans. However, the organization has recently come under fire in light of reports that showed a number of members of its staff also belonged to Hamas and participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel.