Relief workers’ killing, aid blockade hamper UN humanitarian deliveries in Gaza

United Nations: UN humanitarians are seeking Israel’s assurance of safety, as intensified hostilities have joined aid blockage in severely hampering the delivery of relief into Gaza.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday the United Nations is seeking concrete assurances for the safety of staff and operations in Gaza following the killing of six UN personnel and injury of several others this week, including in the attack on a clearly designated UN compound, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We demand answers on their behalf and for those who continue the work,” Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said Wednesday.

OCHA said the 20-day closure of Gaza crossings to aid deliveries is having a devastating impact on people already facing catastrophic conditions.

“Each passing day further erodes the progress made by the UN and our humanitarian partners during the first six weeks of the ceasefire,” the office said. “OCHA warns that humanitarian operations are now being severely hampered by hostilities. Civilians, including aid workers, and civilian assets have come under attack.”

OCHA warned that as attacks continue across the Gaza Strip, the steady flow of trauma injuries is putting even more pressure on an already shattered healthcare system.

The UN’s humanitarian partners estimate that more than 120,000 Palestinians have been displaced once again this week, driven by intensified attacks and new Israeli evacuation orders across Gaza, OCHA said. “That’s about 6 per cent of the surviving population.”

A new evacuation order covering areas in northern Gaza was issued on Friday following reports of rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups.

In the West Bank, OCHA said a rapid survey of movement obstacles across the occupied territory showed nearly 850 checkpoints, gates and other physical barriers, the highest number in any study over the past two decades.

“In just the past three months, three dozen new movement obstacles have been established, most of them following the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire in mid-January,” OCHA said. “Road gates account for a third of all obstacles, and most of them are frequently kept closed.”

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said that Friday marks 60 days since Israel began military operations in Jenin Camp in the West Bank.

He said such large-scale, militarized operations cannot become the new norm in the West Bank. The trend of escalating violence that started before October 7, 2023 must be reversed.

–IANS