U.M. OSINT reported that Israel had only completely blocked aid deliveries twice since October 7, 2023. The first blockade commenced on October 9, 2023; Egypt had also closed the Rafah crossing at that time. Starting at the end of October, Israel allowed aid deliveries to pass again—initially without fuel. According to quantities reported by COGAT, the deliveries later even exceeded pre-war levels. A second complete blockade lasted from March 2 to May 18, 2025, totaling 77 days. According to U.M. OSINT, Israel justified it with Article 23, Paragraph 2 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: deliveries must not be allowed if they cannot be effectively controlled or provide a concrete military or economic advantage to the opponent. At that time, Israel assumed that Hamas and others were hoarding food. There were also short-term closures following shelling, including on May 5, 2024. As evidence, U.M. OSINT referred to aerial images of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which he designated as the most important crossing for deliveries. A photo taken on October 30, 2023, showed the crossing closed. On June 3, 2024, trucks were waiting on the Egyptian side while the Israeli depot was empty and the Palestinian depot was full; northwest of there, a kilometer-long queue of trucks had formed for pickup. According to his post, these vehicles came from the UN or cooperating NGOs that had employed Palestinian transport companies or mercenaries. A photo from November 5, 2024, showed a similarly full Palestinian depot but no waiting delivery trucks. U.M. OSINT interpreted this as an indication of higher throughput by COGAT. Images from February 2026 showed fewer waiting trucks and still some pallets; the Palestinian side apparently managed to handle the supply. Additionally, U.M. OSINT wrote that UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on December 2, 2024, that in the previous month, 90 percent of the aid trucks had been looted—98 out of 109. According to his account, UN publications confirmed that this had been ongoing for months. Publicly, this was primarily interpreted as a sign of hunger among Palestinians; however, the looting was mostly attributed to armed groups. An OCHA report from September 17, 2025, according to U.M. OSINT, reported 432 "malnutrition-related deaths," including 146 children. Data published by the Ministry of Health indicated 4 such deaths in 2023, 49 in 2024, and 260 between January and August 27, 2025. For comparison, he cited a total of 77 deaths due to malnutrition in England and Wales in 2022, as well as 436 cases where it had played a role. The medical term "malnutrition" (ICD E40–E46), according to his account, also includes deaths related to birth defects, genetic disorders, or cancer and does not necessarily mean that the affected individuals had insufficient food available. On May 21, 2025, the then UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that 14,000 babies could die within 48 hours. At that time, the crossing was reportedly already open again, according to U.M. OSINT. He welcomed the interest in the aerial images and stated that they confirmed his and others’ earlier representations. At the same time, he accused some observers in a derogatory manner of not looking closely enough. #Israel #Gazastreifen #HumanitäreKrise (translated)
