Israel restricts food deliveries to Gaza, the Guardian reports
Photo: Gaza Strip (Getty Images)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with winter approaching and the population facing severe shortages of food and essential supplies, according to The Guardian.
According to a United Nations mission, Israel is violating international law by continuing to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Natalie Boucly, deputy commissioner-general of UNRWA, said residents are facing severe shortages of food and necessities, and the situation is worsening with colder weather approaching.
She stressed that the international community, including the European Union and the United States, must increase pressure on the Israeli government to ensure unrestricted delivery of aid.
Aid supplies and delivery delays
Boucly said UNRWA has sufficient resources, food, tents, and other essential goods, ready to fill up to 6,000 trucks.
"As winter approaches and famine continues to grip the population, it is critical that all this aid is allowed into Gaza without delay," she said. "Our supplies would be able to provide food … for the entire population for about three months. And that is sitting outside [in Jordan and Egypt], not able to come in. And that is the case for the other UN agencies because the restrictions and the constraints are still there."
International law violations
Boucly said Israel, as the occupying power, is "not complying with international humanitarian law and international human rights law," citing the Fourth Geneva Convention and a recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
She emphasized that Israel has a legal duty to ensure people in the occupied territory have access to "the essentials of daily life". Instead, diplomatic ties with UNRWA have been cut, and the agency has been accused of links to Hamas.
Role of the international community
Boucly underscored that UNRWA is currently irreplaceable:
"This is not a moment for UNRWA to collapse. We are indispensable because no one else can take on our responsibilities." In Brussels, she discussed the agency’s 200-million-dollar funding gap through March and called for stronger political pressure on Israel to push forward a peace process.
"The only reason we are here is the collective failure to find a political solution to this conflict," she added.
Earlier, prosecutors in Istanbul sought arrest warrants for 37 senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of serious crimes in Gaza.
Prolonged fighting has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, worsened by destroyed infrastructure, growing waste accumulation, and deteriorating living conditions in temporary shelters.
