UN says Israel not 'making it easy' to deliver, distribute aid to Gaza

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN said on Wednesday that Israel has denied all six humanitarian aid movements coordinated by the UN for Gaza, worsening an already dire situation for civilians in the besieged enclave.

"As for the occupying power, Israel, it must agree to allow and facilitate the aid that is urgently needed," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Dujarric said that "since last week, about 900 truckloads were submitted for Israeli approval, and 800 were approved, but just over 500 could be offloaded on the Israeli side of Kareem Shalom, and even fewer made it into the Palestinian side, where we and our partners could collect just over 200 of them, limited by insecurity and restricted access."

He further noted that fewer Palestinian trucks are needed to collect cargo, so "collection is not on a one-to-one ratio, with trucks offloaded on the Israeli side."

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric reiterated that "aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into Gaza."

Dujarric also stressed that Israel has blocked UN efforts to deliver that aid and said: "Israeli authorities also continue to deny our attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza, including one to retrieve fuel from Rafah today. Overall, all six coordinated movements were denied to the United Nations today."

When asked whether Israel is purposefully obstructing aid, Dujarric responded: "You have to ask them what their motivation is, but I can tell you, they sure aren't making it easy for us."

He also warned displaced people that they "lack tents, they lack tarpaulins, they lack food, they lack water, and they lack many of the most basic supplies."

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN said on Wednesday that Israel has denied all six humanitarian aid movements coordinated by the UN for Gaza, worsening an already dire situation for civilians in the besieged enclave.

"As for the occupying power, Israel, it must agree to allow and facilitate the aid that is urgently needed," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

He further noted that fewer Palestinian trucks are needed to collect cargo, so "collection is not on a one-to-one ratio, with trucks offloaded on the Israeli side."

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric reiterated that "aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into Gaza."

When asked whether Israel is purposefully obstructing aid, Dujarric responded: "You have to ask them what their motivation is, but I can tell you, they sure aren't making it easy for us."

He also warned displaced people that they "lack tents, they lack tarpaulins, they lack food, they lack water, and they lack many of the most basic supplies."