95bFM Concerns raised regarding how many aid trucks Israel is allowing into Gaza
22 May, 2025
Interview by Oto Sequiera, adapted by Alyssa Ramos
Palestine Forum of New Zealand’s Maher Nazzal says Israel only allowance of aid trucks into Gaza is a political move following global pressure, and calls for more action from Aotearoa.
Following 11 weeks of blockade in Gaza, Israel has recently permitted the United Nations (UN) to allow a hundred aid trucks with food, medicine, fuel, and other necessities, into the Gaza Strip. Israel says of these a hundred, 93 have entered the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The UN says no trucks have been able to deliver aid to those in Gaza.
The amount of aid trucks being allowed into Gaza has raised concerns about how little this will help the strip's 2.1 million residents; 47% of whom are children under 18.
Co-chair of the Palestine Forum of New Zealand, Maher Nazzal, told 95bFM’s The Wire that significantly more aid trucks are vital to help those in Gaza.
“After 19 months of genocide, after 591 days of this ethnic cleansing, we believe no less than 1000 trucks a day with multiple supplies just for the 2.1 million to survive.”
Nazzal says that due to Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza, this has caused the United Nations to halt deliveries into the strip.
He adds that it is “a shame to humanity” that very few of the trucks have white bags to tend to the dead.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has caused the deaths of over 50,000 Palestinians.
Nazzal believes Israel’s approval of aid trucks into Gaza is a political move.
“This is definitely a tactic from Israel after the worldwide pressure on them, after the UN and Europe [have] pressure[d] them.”
“... Israel will be continuing their ground operations and bombardment of Gaza while the aid is being delivered.”
Despite Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, joining political leaders worldwide in calling for aid to the Gaza Strip, Nazzal says that more needs to be done.
“New Zealand can join the ICJ (International Court of Justice) with South Africa and [hold] Netanyahu and Israel accountable [for] this genocide … New Zealand can allow humanitarian visas, which the Palestinians have been asking for the last 591 days, and we still have not received any feedback from the government on this.”
