GAZA (WAM)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced that it is pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a post on his official X account, "We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom. The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months. On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs. Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken.''
This difficult decision he explained, comes at a time when hunger is rapidly deepening.
"The delivery of humanitarian aid must never be dangerous or turn into an ordeal.''
In Gaza, he added, the humanitarian operation has become unnecessarily impossible due to the ongoing siege, hurdles from Israeli authorities, political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid, lack of safety on aid routes and targeting of local police.
All of the above led to a breakdown in law and order. The responsibility of protection of aid workers + supplies is with the State of Israel as the occupying power. They must ensure aid flows into Gaza safely & must refrain from attacks on humanitarian workers, he concluded.