The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher said that the agency’s aid efforts in Gaza are facing mounting obstacles as Israeli forces continue attacks on relief workers amid a breakdown of law and order in the war-torn enclave, reports Al Jazeera.
Fletcher cited three incidents in recent days as examples of the mounting obstacles: an Israeli airstrike that left three people injured at a food distribution site operated by a World Food Programme partner, Israeli soldiers firing on a clearly marked UN convoy at a checkpoint, and armed Palestinian gangs hijacking six fuel tankers, which severely hampered the delivery of aid.
“The reality is that despite our determination to deliver food, water and medicine to survivors, our efforts to save lives are at breaking point,” he said.
“There is no meaningful civil order. Israeli forces are unable or unwilling to ensure the safety of our convoys. Statements by Israeli authorities vilify our aid workers even as the military attacks them. Community volunteers who accompany our convoys are being targeted. There is now a perception that it is dangerous to protect aid convoys but safe to loot them.”
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
