The United Nations condemns the announcement by Israel that it would increase the number of housing units in the occupied West Bank by 3,400, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland said on Thursday.
"I condemn yesterday’s reported advancement by the Israeli authorities of plans for over 3,400 housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank," Wennesland said in a statement.
The settlements are illegal under international law and are escalating the conflict in the occupied West Bank, the statement said.
Aside from that, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that any distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is good, but more large scale deliveries by land are needed.
"Any way to get more aid into Gaza, whether by sea or air drop, is obviously good. Our focus and the international community's focus should continue to be on increasing the large scale distribution and entry of aid by land," Dujarric said during a press briefing.
Dujarric explained that aid deliveries by land are cost and volume effective, which is why the United Nations has been saying that more entry points into Gaza are needed to enable the large volume of aid to come in.
Earlier on Thursday, a senior Biden administration official said President Joe Biden will announce during his State of the Union Address later in the night that he is directing the US military to establish a temporary port in the Mediterranean in order to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.