Gaza aid by air, sea not 'substitute' for land deliveries: UN coordinator

Delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza by airdrops or sea cannot sufficiently "substitute" land deliveries, the UN aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory said Thursday after a closed-door Security Council meeting.

Sigrid Kaag said her message to the UN Security Council was that the international community must "flood the market in Gaza with humanitarian goods" and "re-energise the private sector" so more commercial goods can enter to meet civilians' needs.

"The diversification of the supply routes via land" this remains the optimal solution," she said.

"It's easier, it's faster, it's cheaper, particularly if we know that we need to sustain humanitarian assistance to Gazans for a long period of time."

Reporting by AFP