UN faces tough task in delivering aid to Gaza – DW – 10/17/2025

Israel said on Thursday it was preparing to reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt, but did not set a date.

Speaking to reporters in Naples, Italy, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was “hopeful” that the crossing would be opened as soon as Sunday.

Israel had previously said that opening the crossing would only allow people to enter and exit the Gaza Strip, and would not allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Once Rafah is reopened, humanitarian aid will be rerouted and will continue to enter Gaza after security checks at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southeast, said a spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry agency tasked with providing logistics support to the Palestinian territories.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said Germany could play a role in improving relations between Israel and Turkey ahead of his visit to Ankara, where he was meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

“I see a decisive role for Germany in re-establishing understanding and a normal level between Israel and Turkey,” Wadefull told reporters on the plane to Ankara.

Relations between Israel and Türkiye have deteriorated significantly during the two-year-long war in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the likes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler of committing genocide.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful was in Turkey on Friday for talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan as well as other Turkish government representatives.

The discussions were set to cover a range of issues, including the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and supporting progress on the next steps of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan.

A German Foreign Ministry statement seen by DW said there is “great potential for foreign policy cooperation” between Türkiye and Germany.

“In the Middle East conflict, Turkey contributed to the historic ceasefire in Gaza through its role as mediator. As one of the supporters of the peace plan – and as a state we expect to continue putting pressure on Hamas – Turkey has a responsible role.”

According to reports in Israel, an international team of military experts will enter the Gaza Strip to locate the bodies of the hostages.

According to Israel’s Channel 13, the team includes members from the US, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, and will work with intelligence provided by Israel regarding the possible location of the bodies.

As part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group has committed to return all of its hostages, both living and dead.

While 20 surviving hostages were returned to Israel on Monday, Hamas has returned the bodies of only nine of the remaining 28 hostages, with the group claiming it needs time to locate the bodies due to the destruction in Gaza.

Israel has accused Hamas of moving too slowly in returning the bodies.

West Midlands Police have banned supporters of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending their club’s Europa League game at Birmingham-based club Aston Villa, citing security concerns.

Read more about how the UK Government is working to reverse the police ban.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday tried to curb expectations of what it could do to ease the hunger felt by residents in Gaza.

Spokesperson Abir Atefa said, “The ceasefire has opened a narrow window of opportunity. WFP is moving very quickly to increase food assistance and reach families suffering months of blockade, displacement and hunger.”

WFP warned in August that “it will take some time to reduce famine.”

Speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, Etefa said WFP had already set up five food distribution centers in Gaza, but aimed to set up about 145.

Announcing that more than 300 trucks were able to complete deliveries, Etefa said, “We are still short of what we need but we are getting there.”

Calling on Israel to allow greater access to the enclave, Etefa said, “The faster we can deliver aid, the faster we can reach more people.”

The United Nations on Friday urged Israel to quickly open all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, saying it would take some time to step up efforts to defuse the famine in the territory.

Since the ceasefire was agreed, the UN says it has been able to deliver about 3,000 tonnes of food, but acknowledged that it will take time to “fill Gaza with food”.

Israel has largely blocked international aid organizations from entering Gaza since March.

“We have begged for this access for months and finally we are seeing massive amounts of goods being moved: food, medicine, tents, fuel… a lot of fuel delivered today,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a social media video published Friday.

United Nations aid organizations are demanding greater access to Gaza, and German Foreign Minister Johann Waddefull is visiting Turkey.

Elsewhere, reports in Israel suggest that an international team of military personnel will begin operating in the Gaza Strip in an effort to find the bodies of dead hostages.

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