Gaza: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has accused Israel of continuing to prevent its teams from accessing the northern Gaza Strip to provide humanitarian assistance.
In a statement on social media platform X on Wednesday night, UNRWA said Israel “continues to prevent us from accessing the northern area of the strip to provide food aid and other essential supplies.”
It explained that the agency “delivered more than half of the UN aid provided to Gaza through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings in March,” noting that 176 agency employees “tragically” lost their lives since the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
The UNRWA chief, Philippe Lazzarini, criticized Israel’s strict policies and blocking of aid, warning that this could lead to “man-made famine.”
He also condemned the Israeli killing of seven aid workers from international food charity World Central Kitchen in central Gaza on Monday night, saying that “the killing of humanitarian workers and the prevention of UNRWA from joining the convoys heading north (in Gaza) require a complete review of policies by the Israeli government.”
Lazzarini considered that changing Israeli policies “will help save lives and avoid famine” through “an immediate ceasefire and opening more land crossings,” calling for allowing UNRWA, the main provider of life-saving services in Gaza, to enter the northern strip without further delay.
Israel has accused UNRWA staff members of participating in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. In retaliation, Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza, resulting in more than 33,000 deaths, widespread destruction, and a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian coastal enclave. UNI/XINHUA
