• UN and ICRC urge the opening of all crossings into Gaza to facilitate aid delivery.
• Israel has restricted aid amounts to 300 trucks daily, half of what is needed.
• Gaza is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe with reports of famine and immense destruction.
• Aid agencies, including UNICEF, call for immediate scaling up of supplies to the many displaced residents.
• Dispute over the return of bodies of deceased hostages continues to affect aid flow and ceasefire stability.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have emphasized the urgent need for all crossings into Gaza to be reopened to allow vital aid deliveries. According to Red Cross spokesperson Christian Cardon, humanitarian agencies are advocating for open entry points due to the overwhelming needs of the population, with 190,000 metric tons of aid waiting to be delivered, as detailed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson, Jens Laerke, who noted, "We need all of them open" according to trtglobal and reuters.

However, despite these calls, Israel has cut the number of allowed trucks entering Gaza from 600 to 300 daily, citing delays from Hamas in the return of hostage bodies as a justification for this restriction. This reduction significantly hampers the aid efforts, as UNICEF and other organizations illustrate that the humanitarian needs are immense, with only a fraction of the necessary aid getting through, as stated in various reports, including one from channelnewsasia and aljazeera.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become dire, with reports of famine and major destruction in the wake of ongoing conflict. The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, stressed the necessity for a substantial increase in aid, stating, “We have 190,000 metric tons of provisions on the borders waiting to go in," emphasizing the urgent need for thousands of aid vehicles to enter weekly in order to mitigate the crisis according to reuters and bbc.

The tension between Israel and Hamas continues to impact humanitarian deliveries as disputes surrounding the recovery of deceased hostage bodies persist, complicating the ceasefire agreements. Hamas has returned eight bodies so far but has faced challenges in locating and delivering the remaining remains due to the widespread destruction, as mentioned by both reuters and scmp.

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, aid groups are calling for immediate access and the urgent resumption of supplies, with implications for health and survival in Gaza. Increased risks of food and medical shortages highlight the necessity of lifting restrictions on aid amount and access, as detailed in multiple reports including africanews and aljazeera.