An Israeli military evacuation order covering a third of the Gaza Strip has “wiped out” the United Nations’ attempts to improve humanitarian aid deliveries via the Kerem Shalom crossing, a senior UN aid official said on Wednesday.
Israel has been critical of UN-led aid operations in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where the UN says distribution is not only hampered by the nearly nine-month-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas but also lawlessness.
Israel’s military announced this month a daily daytime pause in attacks to facilitate the collection of aid from Kerem Shalom, but the UN has said the lawlessness means it is still too dangerous and it is Israel’s responsibility to restore public order and safety in Gaza.
Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that in the past few weeks, there had been a lot of discussions with Israel on how to improve the situation.
“We have been engineering a lot of solutions and trying and testing, improving and failing – at times – and now with this evacuation order all this has been, again, wiped out,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
De Domenico said alternative plans were now blocked by the evacuation order, but he hoped a protection agreement could be reached with the Israeli military for some areas.
The United Nations has also long appealed for more effective coordination with the Israeli military for aid operations and approval for the UN and humanitarians to use essential security and communications equipment.
Source: eNCA
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