– The Israeli authorities continue to deny the UN humanitarian access, Lazzarini says in one statement.
The last time Israel refused to let him into Gaza was in March. Then the US reacted by asking Israel to reverse the decision. The UN aid organization for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has 13,000 employees in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where, according to the UN, the inhabitants are threatened by famine.
– This week they refused me – for the second time – entry to Gaza, where I was supposed to be with our UNRWA colleagues, including those on the front line, writes Lazzarini.
He says there has been an increase in the obstacles to humanitarian access recently.
– In the last two weeks alone, we have recorded ten incidents where aid convoys have been fired upon, UN employees have been arrested, harassed, stripped naked and threatened with weapons, and where there have been long delays due to military blockades, says Lazzarini.
– These events are repeated at a time when we are in a battle against the clock to avert famine in Gaza, he adds.
On Sunday, Hamas’ armed wing attacked the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza with rockets, causing it to be closed. Most deliveries of emergency aid pass through Kerem Shalom, Lazzarini points out.
He asks the Israeli authorities to grant humanitarian access to the entire Gaza Strip, including in the north. Furthermore, the UNRWA chief asks Hamas and other armed groups to stop all attacks on the humanitarian border crossing, to stop diverting emergency aid and to ensure that the aid reaches everyone who needs it.
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2024-05-05 16:56:41