HAMILTON, Canada
The UN on Thursday highlighted Israel's systematic obstruction to deliver humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid intensified military operations by Israeli forces.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned during a news conference that "the last remaining lifelines for civilians in Gaza City are collapsing amid intensified military operations."
"In just five days, 11 UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) premises serving as emergency shelters for about 11,000 people in Gaza City have been damaged after taking direct hits or indirect hits," he said.
Regarding the displacement of Gazans, Dujarric warned that it is "rising fast, now exceeding more than 1 million people since the ceasefire collapsed in mid-March."
"Some 200,000 displacements have been recorded from northern to southern Gaza over the past month alone, including 56,000 since Sunday, and that was as of yesterday," he said.
He raised the alarm about the rapid increase of displaced families, who are "sleeping on the streets or in makeshift tents and struggling to survive."
Noting the UN's continued efforts to "reach people across Gaza with life-saving support," Dujarric said: "Opportunities to support starving people are being systematically blocked, according to our humanitarian colleagues."
"Every week, new restrictions are imposed," he added, saying that the "Zikim crossing, which is the only one that goes directly from Israel to the north, where famine, as you know, has been confirmed, has been shut since the weekend."
He stated that "Israeli authorities have also classified some food items, such as peanut butter, as 'luxuries' that are not being allowed in, leaving large amounts of already-procured aid stuck outside Gaza," he said, pointing to the "inspection" challenges that cause "unpredictability and needless delays."
Dujarric reported that Israel also continues to block humanitarian movements inside the enclave."Just yesterday, three of 14 coordinated movements were denied – including two intended to bring food to the north,” he said.