UN suspends aid to Gaza due to escalating safety threats
The UN agency responsible for aid to Palestinians has halted food deliveries to the Gaza Strip through the main crossing point with Israel. The decision was announced on Sunday by Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) decided to suspend food supplies to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing. This is due to safety concerns that have intensified after attacks by armed gangs on humanitarian convoys. Philippe Lazzarini reported that the last two convoys were looted by armed groups near this crossing.
Lazzarini emphasized that the main route leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing "has not been safe for months." On Saturday, five trucks were stolen, and in November, masked assailants attacked a convoy of 109 trucks, stealing 97 of them along with their cargo. UNRWA suggests that a criminal family from Gaza, which blocked the road for two days, is likely behind the attacks.
The decision to halt supplies via Kerem Shalom came after the deaths of three people employed by World Central Kitchen, a food aid charity, and two others during a Saturday Israeli attack, according to UNRWA.
The head of UNRWA emphasized that Israel is responsible for the protection of humanitarian workers and convoys entering the Gaza Strip. He added that providing aid is complicated by ongoing conflicts, the collapse of public order, and restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities.
Humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip
UNRWA refers to information provided by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on social media, which indicates that many agencies are offering support to Gaza residents, and only 7% of the aid in November reached there through UNRWA.
Last week, over 1,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were collected from the various crossings and distributed throughout the Gaza Strip, reported COGAT.
