12/1/2024–|Last updated: 12/1/202401:44 PM (Mecca time)
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced the suspension of the delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main corridor for humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, after the seizure yesterday, Saturday, of food trucks that attempted to enter through the crossing.
Lazzarini stressed in a tweet on his account on the X platform that the humanitarian operation in Gaza has become unnecessarily impossible due to the siege, Israeli obstacles, and lack of security.
He pointed out that the responsibility to protect relief workers and supplies lies with Israel as the occupying power.
He stressed that the decision – which he described as difficult – to stop the delivery of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing comes at a time when hunger is rapidly worsening.
Humanitarian crisis
Hours ago, UNRWA warned that the Palestinians in Gaza were now relying exclusively on humanitarian aid in light of the continued undermining of the United Nations’ ability to fulfill its mandate.
The agency reported, in a post on
UNRWA quoted Jamila, 80, as saying, “I traveled long distances and passed through large crowds of people just to reach the clinic here in Khan Yunis to get my medicines. I suffer from chronic diseases, and yet I cannot find any medicine available.”
Jamila added, “I was completely dependent on UNRWA to provide health care and education for me, my children, and my grandchildren. Today I face a frightening reality. Who will stand by our side if UNRWA does not exist?”
“In war-torn Gaza, civilians like Jamila are left to rely exclusively on humanitarian aid,” the agency commented in the same post. “The United Nations’ ability to fulfill its mandate is continually undermined.” She stressed that there must be a ceasefire now.
On October 28, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) finally approved a ban on UNRWA activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
On November 4, Israel informed the United Nations of the cancellation of the 1967 agreement regarding the work of UNRWA, which means banning its activities, if the resolution enters into force within three months.
Israel still controls the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, amid a stifling humanitarian crisis and the specter of famine, especially in the north of the Strip, and refuses to cooperate with UN and international organizations to enter medicines, food, and basic needs.
