Through a COGAT-led effort, 1,000 blood units were transferred to A-Sahaba Hospital in northern Gaza through the Erez West crossing on Monday after security checks at the Kerem Shalom crossing, the IDF announced.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which tracks and records aid transferred into Gaza, coordinated the transfer with international organizations. The blood units are reportedly set to support ongoing operations, medical treatments, and the maintenance of essential hospital services.
The Erez West crossing, near Zikim, was opened during the war to transport humanitarian aid.
Since the start of the war, 1,135,030 tons of aid have been delivered to Gaza, according to the COGAT website. More than 25,000 tons of this have reportedly been medical supplies to support Gazan civilians. Trucks containing humanitarian goods are inspected in Israel and transferred to Gaza through crossings to be collected and distributed by aid agencies.
Israeli effort to increase aid delivery to Gaza
The IDF report follows a Monday press briefing at which US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller lauded Israel's vote to allow 250 aid trucks into Gaza every day and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s instruction to Defense Minister Israel Katz to "make every effort" to increase the number of deliveries to 350.
Miller stated that Israel is restoring deliveries to northern Gaza and is implementing the UN's plan to prepare for winter, which includes repairing roads, facilitating the entry of winter-specific aid, and providing vaccinations for winter-specific diseases.