Trucks carrying Gaza aid seen near Kerem Shalom border crossing

• Trucks carrying aid are seen at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, on its Israeli side

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza were seen on Sunday at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in Israel.

The aid packages which included wheat flour, oil and varied canned food, were brought to a special compound before being loaded onto trucks meant to carry the aid into Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would be open to a temporary ceasefire to enable the return of hostages. But otherwise he said it would press ahead with a military campaign to gain total control of Gaza.

Despite the relaxation of the blockade, distribution has been hampered by looting by groups of men, some of them armed, near the city of Khan Younis, an umbrella network representing Palestinian aid groups said.

Israel imposed the blockade in early March, accusing Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians. Hamas rejects the charge, saying a number of its own fighters have been killed protecting the trucks from armed looters.

Israel has announced that a new system, sponsored by the United States and run by private contractors, will soon begin operations from four distribution centres in the south of Gaza, but many details of how the system will work remain unclear.

The UN has already said it will not work with the new system, which it says will leave aid distribution conditional on Israel’s political and military aims.

Israel says its forces will only provide security for the centres and will not distribute aid themselves.