UNRWA urges immediate access to Gaza as aid supplies sit idle in Jordan

ANKARA

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) sounded the alarm on Friday over the continued obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza as essential supplies remain stockpiled in nearby Jordan.

“In the UNRWA warehouse in (Jordanian capital) Amman, just a three-hour drive from Gaza, we have enough supplies to sustain over 200,000 people for an entire month,” the agency said.

“Flour, food parcels, hygiene kits, blankets, and medical supplies are ready to be delivered. Gaza needs aid at scale,” said UNRWA, stressing that “an unhindered, uninterrupted flow of supplies must be allowed in.”

Since March 2, Israel has kept all border crossings shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.

Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.