Israel Continues to Restrict Humanitarian Aid Efforts in Northern Gaza

Gaza, MINA – The UN on Wednesday reported severe Israeli restrictions on aid efforts in Gaza, where civilians are experiencing “horrific levels of violence” amid the ongoing offensive.

“Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that Palestinian civilians are experiencing horrific levels of violence as hostilities continue in the Gaza Strip,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference as quoted by Anadolu Agency.

Saying the UN and its partners provided assistance to more than 2,000 families in southern and central Gaza between 22 December and 4 January, Dujarric said: “We also assisted around 200 families in the Gaza Strip itself.”

“Meanwhile, OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to reject UN-led efforts to reach the northern Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have been under siege for more than 90 days,” he said.

Noting that a UN aid delivery attempt yesterday was rejected by Israel, he said that “across Gaza yesterday, Israeli authorities facilitated only four of our eight requests for coordinated humanitarian movements. The rest were either rejected or cancelled due to security or logistical challenges.”

Dujarric also read a statement from the Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini warning of a looming crisis if Israel’s decision to ban the agency goes ahead.

“The decision will have a devastating impact on the people UNRWA supports,” Lazzarini said in the statement, citing the loss of education for 700,000 children and the collapse of vital aid and health care services.

The Israeli occupation army has continued its genocidal war on the enclave that has killed nearly 46,000 people, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)