The EU struck a deal with the Israeli government to allow a “substantial increase” in the amount of aid distributed in Gaza, the EU’s Vice President Kaja Kallas said Thursday.
The deal will see an increase in the number of food trucks entering the enclave daily, as well as the opening of several access points in both the northern and southern regions of Gaza, Kallas said on X, and that humanitarian aid would once again be distributed through bakeries and public kitchens.
The announcement comes following a widespread humanitarian outcry over the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a private US-backed foundation that began distributing aid in May. Its small number of distribution centers have become hotspots of chaos and violence, leading to the deaths of more than 700 Palestinians seeking aid.
The deal comes with ceasefire efforts ongoing, with US President Donald Trump saying Wednesday that a truce between Israel and Hamas is likely to be agreed “this week or next.”