UN Says Israel Continues to Block Vital Aid from Reaching Gaza Strip

Gaza, MINA – The UN reported on Friday that Israel continues to block “vital aid” from reaching those in need in the Gaza Strip, citing more than half of the humanitarian aid that was blocked by authorities the day before, Anadolu Agency reported.

Quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a press conference that, “Israeli authorities continue to reject UN-led efforts to reach the Gaza governorate with vital aid.”

“This includes our latest efforts today in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Only 10 of the 21 planned humanitarian movements by the UN were facilitated by Israeli authorities,” he said, adding that “seven were rejected outright, three were obstructed and one was cancelled due to security and logistical challenges.”

He also expressed OCHA’s deep concern about the impact of “the reduced fuel supply on essential services in Gaza.”

“Palestinian telecommunications providers are now warning that their services may start to shut down tomorrow due to the lack of fuel, which they need to run generators for their equipment,” he added.

Dujarric went on to report “a picture of the violence in the first week of the year” in the occupied West Bank.

“Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including a child, and injured 38 others in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” he said.

Noting that Israeli settlers injured at least 18 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including nine in Ramallah governorate, Dujarric said, “More than 50 Palestinians in the West Bank were displaced by home demolitions” during the first week of 2025.

The Israeli army has continued its genocidal war in Gaza that has killed more than 46,000 people, most of them women and children, since on October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)