Israel has defended its policies on admitting trucks into Gaza, calling on the United Nations to send more convoys of aid to the battle-ravaged territory, AFP reports.

“If the UN wants to see more aid in north Gaza, it should coordinate more convoys,” said Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT, a defence ministry body governing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Goren also said 99 per cent of aid trucks sent to Gaza were “approved”, pushing back on reports by the UN and NGOs that cumbersome Israeli inspections are blocking food and other essentials.

“The trucks that are rejected are sent back for repackaging because they contain … materials that Hamas can use for their terrorist activities,” he told a press conference at the inspection terminal at the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

“The issue is not with our inspection, but with the distribution capabilities of the international organisations.”