Six aid trucks crossed from Israel directly into northern Gaza on Tuesday as part of a pilot project for ensuring the delivery of supplies into the area, the Israeli army announced, AFP reports.

Aid groups have been warning of the risk of famine in besieged Gaza for weeks, and the United Nations has reported particular difficulty in accessing the territory’s north for deliveries of food and other humanitarian supplies.

According to the army, six World Food Programme (WFP) aid trucks “entered the northern Gaza Strip via the ‘96th’ gate on the security fence” on Tuesday.

“This was done as part of a pilot in order to prevent the Hamas terrorist organization from taking over the aid,” it added, noting the trucks had been inspected at Kerem Shalom beforehand.

“The pilot’s results will be presented to government officials.”

Israel has maintained strict control over aid entering the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of its fighting with Hamas, inspecting shipments at Nitzana and Kerem Shalom before permitting them to enter through the territory’s south.

The cumbersome screenings are a major reason current shortages are so glaring, aid workers say, and the shipments sometimes struggle to reach northern Gaza.