UN halts Gaza food aid after armed convoy attacks
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 (UNRWA).
UNRWA decided to suspend food supplies to the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing 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 indicates 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 death of three people employed by World Central Kitchen, a food aid charity, and two others in a Saturday Israeli attack, according to UNRWA, as reported by the Polish Press Agency.
The head of UNRWA stressed 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 the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) provides on social media. It indicates that many agencies support Gaza residents, and only 7 percent of the aid in November reached the country 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.
