Gaza, MINA – The United Nations on Tuesday dismissed Israel’s claims that there is an adequate food supply in the Gaza Strip, calling the assertion “ridiculous” as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate, Palestine Chronicle reported.
“As far as the UN (is) concerned, that’s ridiculous. I mean, we are at the tail end of our supplies, of the UN, that came in through the humanitarian route,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a press conference.
Dujarric highlighted the severity of the crisis, emphasizing that the World Food Program (WFP) is struggling to sustain its operations.
“You know, WFP doesn’t close its bakeries for fun,” he stated, reinforcing the dire shortage of food supplies reaching Gaza’s population.
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He also refuted Israeli military’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claims that over 25,200 aid trucks had entered Gaza during the six-week ceasefire and allegations that Hamas had seized supplies.
“The UN has kept a chain of custody, and a very good chain of custody, on all the aid it’s delivered,” Dujarric asserted, rejecting accusations of mismanagement of humanitarian assistance.
Dujarric pointed to notable improvements during the ceasefire, stating, “We saw humanitarian aid flood Gaza. We saw markets come back to life. We saw prices going down. We saw hostages released. We saw Palestinian detainees released. We need to go back to that.”
However, the situation has drastically changed since Israel launched a surprise aerial offensive on Gaza on March 18, breaking the January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
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The renewed attacks have claimed over 1,000 lives and left more than 2,000 injured, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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