UPDATE 1-Israel will scale up amount of aid going into Gaza, military says

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JERUSALEM, April 28 (Reuters) – The amount of humanitarian aid going into the Gaza Strip will be ramped up in coming days, Israel’s military said on Sunday, citing new corridors that use an Israeli seaport and border crossings into the Palestinian enclave.

After closing off access to Gaza following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that set off the war, Israel has since allowed in aid convoys amid growing international pressure to boost the amount of supplies to feed Gaza’s 2.3 million people.

A spiraling humanitarian crisis has prompted calls from Israel’s Western and Arab partners to do more to facilitate the entry of aid to the enclave, where most are homeless, many face famine, and where civilian infrastructure is devastated and disease widespread.

The United States said earlier this month it welcomed Israel’s latest efforts to allow in more humanitarian aid, but success would be measured in results in improving the situation on the ground.

“Over the last few weeks, the amount of humanitarian aid going into Gaza has significantly increased. In the coming days, the amount of aid going into Gaza will continue to scale up even more,” spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

“Food, water, medical supplies, shelter equipment and other aid – more of it is going into Gaza than ever before,” Hagari said.

Separately, U.S.-based charity World Central Kitchen said it would resume operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, a month after seven of its workers were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Hagari said the aid increase is a result of using Israel’s Ashdod port, as well as a new crossing into northern Gaza and increased aid from Jordan entering through the Kerem Shalom border crossing at the southern tip of Gaza.

Israel is also working with U.S. Central Command to construct a “temporary maritime pier,” which will allow ship-to-shore distribution, Hagari said.

“Getting aid to the people of Gaza is a top priority —because our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza,” he added. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Ros Russell and David Holmes)

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