AA/ Istanbul/ Yakoota Al Ahmad
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Tuesday the suspension of food distribution operations in the town of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, due to the lack of supplies and insecurity.
The agency said in a post on “X” that due to the ongoing military operation in eastern Rafah, it has now become difficult to access the UNRWA distribution center and the World Food Program warehouse located in the city.
Due to the war and Israeli restrictions that violate international laws, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip suffer from severe shortages of food, water and medicine, to the point where deaths from hunger have been recorded. .
Aid delivery through the Rafah crossing stopped after the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side on May 7, while Israel closed the Karam Abu Salem crossing on May 5. of the same month.
The maritime corridor established by the United States off the coast of Gaza has become, since May 18, the only corridor for the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip, but only limited quantities of aid have entered there until Today.
Israel also allowed a limited number of commercial trucks from the private sector to enter the town of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on two occasions, on May 15 and 18.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties, mostly children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and destruction. massive infrastructure, which led Tel Aviv to appear before the International Court of Justice for “genocide”.
Palestinian groups estimate that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since October. 7.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the brink of starvation.
The Israeli war has caused the internal displacement of 85% of Gaza’s population, due to severe shortages of food, drinking water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to end acts of genocide and take steps to ensure humanitarian aid is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Translated from Arabic by Malèk Jomni
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