NEW YORK, January 22. /TASS/. American, British, and European officials are putting pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the port of Ashdod, The New York Times (NYT) reported citing sources.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken pressed Israeli officials about allowing Gaza aid through the port of Ashdod when he was in Tel Aviv earlier this month, according to one U.S. official. That official and the others interviewed about the new aid proposal spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. Under the new proposed agreement, aid would be shipped from Cyprus — an Israeli ally — to Ashdod, three of the officials said. From Ashdod, it would then be transported to Kerem Shalom, the Israeli border crossing through which aid has been allowed into Gaza, a European official said," the newspaper reported.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly stated that the capacity of the Kerem Shalom and Rafah checkpoints is not enough to meet the needs of the population of the Palestinian enclave and solve the humanitarian catastrophe.

The situation in the Middle East sharply worsened after the infiltration of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which was accompanied by the killing of residents of border settlements and the taking of hostages. In response, Israel announced a complete blockade of Gaza and began shelling the strip and certain areas of Lebanon and Syria, after which it launched a ground operation in the enclave. Clashes also occur in the West Bank.