Gaza aid effort at ‘breaking point’, warns UN

OCHA chief says attacks by both Israeli troops and Palestinian groups stifling bid to save lives in war-torn enclave.

The efforts of United Nations agencies to supply humanitarian aid in Gaza are at “breaking point”, a senior official has warned.

Aid efforts in Gaza are facing mounting obstacles as Israeli forces continue attacks on relief workers amid a breakdown of law and order in the war-torn enclave, the UN humanitarian agency’s (OCHA) chief said in a statement late on Monday. He also noted the threat from armed Palestinian groups.

Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said: “The reality is that despite our determination to deliver food, water and medicine to survivors, our efforts to save lives are at breaking point.”

The official noted an Israeli air attack had seriously injured three people at a known food distribution point where the World Food Programme (WFP) partner was operating.

Israeli soldiers also fired more than 16 rounds at a clearly marked UN convoy at the checkpoint from the south to the north on Sunday, he added.

Armed Palestinian gangs are also hindering operations. They hijacked six fuel tankers entering from the Karem Abu Salem crossing, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, leaving humanitarian agencies with hardly any fuel for aid operations, Fletcher said.

“There is no meaningful civil order. Israeli forces are unable or unwilling to ensure the safety of our convoys. Statements by Israeli authorities vilify our aid workers even as the military attacks them. Community volunteers who accompany our convoys are being targeted. There is now a perception that it is dangerous to protect aid convoys but safe to loot them,” Fletcher said.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 45,854 Palestinians and wounded 109,139 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and about 250 were taken captive.

OCHA has also expressed deep concern after another baby froze to death in Gaza on Monday due to hypothermia and Israel’s restriction of the entry of humanitarian aid, including tents, blankets, mattresses and other supplies for displaced Palestinians.

“These deaths were preventable had the items required to protect these children been accessible to their families,” it said in a statement.

UN agencies estimate that some 1.6 million people in Gaza are living in makeshift shelters that do not protect them from the cold of winter, with nearly half a million in flood-prone areas. Authorities in Gaza say some 110,000 out of the 135,000 tents being used as shelter in the Strip are worn out and not fit for use.

Fletcher has called on UN member states to ensure that all civilians, and all humanitarian operations, are protected.

“This should not need to be said,” he insisted.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies