UN agency barred from Gaza aid deliveries

March 26, 2024 00:00:00

Palestinians inspect the damage to a building after Israeli bombardment in Rafah on Monday — AFP

GAZA STRIP, Mar 25 (AFP): The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has said that Israel had definitively barred it from making aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest.

"Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food convoys to the north," Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, said Sunday on X.

"This is outrageous & makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man made famine."

Israel fired back, saying on Monday that UNRWA "has long forsaken its role in facilitating aid to northern Gaza. While we've been working with aid orgs and other UN agencies to facilitate large amounts of aid to the north."

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel "goes to great lengths to facilitate aid to northern Gaza, including by opening a new crossing in northern Gaza".

UNRWA director of communications Juliette Touma told AFP the decision not to approve deliveries to the north had been relayed in a meeting with Israeli military officials on Sunday.

Israel kills dozens in Gaza,

besieges two hospitals

Israel's military killed dozens of people in new attacks in Gaza, Palestinian medics said on Monday, and its forces maintained a blockade of two hospitals where they say Hamas militants are hiding.

As Israel pressed on with its offensive, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was a growing international consensus around telling Israel a ceasefire was needed and that an assault on Rafah would cause a humanitarian disaster.

Rafah, the last refuge for over a million Palestinians on the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt, was among cities that came under fire in the latest attacks.

Palestinian medics said 30 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours in Rafah, whose population has been swollen by displaced Palestinians escaping fighting elsewhere in Gaza after more than five months of war.