UN announces humanitarian aid convoys fired upon in Gaza

Philippe Lazzarini made a statement on his X social media account regarding Israel's obstruction of aid operations in Gaza, where it is forcibly leaving 2.3 million civilians hungry and thirsty.

Emphasizing that Israeli authorities continue to block the UN's humanitarian aid access to Gaza, Lazzarini highlighted that he was not permitted to enter Gaza this week.

Lazzarini stated, "In the last two weeks alone, we have recorded 10 incidents, including firing on convoys, UN personnel being bullied, detained, stripped, threatened with weapons, and long delays at checkpoints, forcing convoys to move in the dark or being stopped."

Stressing that these incidents have occurred repeatedly at a time when there is a race against time to prevent famine in Gaza, Lazzarini also pointed out that they create fear for humanitarian aid teams.

ATTACKS, HUNGER, AND EPIDEMICS

Israel has been continuing its air, land, and sea attacks on the Gaza Strip, where approximately 2.3 million Palestinians live, since October 7, 2023.

Due to the attacks, 34,683 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed to date, and 78,018 people have been injured.

Due to the air, land, and sea attacks, 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza. Because of the difficulties created by Israel, sufficient aid cannot be delivered to the region. Palestinians are struggling against Israeli attacks on one side and deepening hunger every day on the other.

The UN had warned that 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip, under intense Israeli attack, are facing the threat of famine.

According to the UN, 378,000 people in Gaza are facing level 5 hunger, known as "catastrophe" according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale, and 939,000 people are facing level 4 hunger, known as "emergency."

It is reported that Palestinians living especially in northern Gaza are forced to grind and consume animal feed because they cannot find flour.

News Source: AA