“We are suspending the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into Gaza”, a “difficult decision […] while hunger is rapidly worsening” in the territory torn by the war for almost 14 months, indicated on X the head of Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini.
Stolen aid trucks
Most trucks containing humanitarian aid enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip. However, “the road leading out of this crossing point has not been safe for months. On November 16, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs,” adds Philippe Lazzarini. On Saturday, “we tried to get a few food trucks on that same road. They were all caught,” he wrote.
In Gaza, ravaged by more than a year of war unleashed after the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, “the humanitarian operation has become impossible”, in particular, according to Philippe Lazzarini, the “ongoing siege, the obstacles posed by the Israeli authorities” and the “lack of security” on the routes.
“The responsibility for the protection of humanitarian workers and equipment rests with the State of Israel as the occupying power. It must ensure that aid reaches Gaza safely and refrain from attacking humanitarian workers,” said the head of Unrwa, who is calling for a ceasefire.
The Gaza Strip has descended into anarchy, with increasing famine, widespread looting and increasingly frequent rapes in refugee camps, while public order has collapsed, officials warned on Friday UN. The day before, during a press trip organized by Israeli authorities accused of obstruction, a military official had shown aid shipments and indicated that the goods often wait for “months” on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom.
