Israel tells UN will only allow half agreed number of aid trucks into Gaza

The restriction will be enacted due to Hamas’s failure to return the remains of deceased Israeli hostages within the 72-hour window agreed on by Israel and Hamas.

Israel has told the United Nations it will only allow 300 aid trucks, half of the originally agreed-upon number, into the Gaza Strip from Wednesday and that no fuel or gas will be allowed into the enclave except for specific needs related to humanitarian infrastructure, according to a note seen by Reuters and confirmed by the UN.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, confirmed the UN had received the note from COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into Gaza.

The COGAT note said the restrictions were being taken because Hamas violated the agreement regarding the release of the bodies of the hostages.

COGAT had said on Friday that it expected about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily during the ceasefire.

This is a developing story.