The United Nations expressed regret on Thursday over the obstacles the Israeli occupation authorities are creating that prevent humanitarian aid from reaching North Gaza, emphasizing that every delay costs more lives.
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated, "Our humanitarian colleagues informed us that between January 1st and 10th, it was only possible to deliver 3 out of 21 shipments of humanitarian aid consisting of food, medicine, water and other essential supplies to northern Gaza Valley."
Dujarric lamented that "the United Nations' ability to respond to the significant needs in the northern part of Gaza is hampered by the repeated refusal to allow aid entry, and the lack of coordination by the Israeli authorities for safe access."
He added that these rejections and restrictions on entry paralyze the capacity of humanitarian actors to respond in a meaningful, consistent, and necessary manner, pointing to a "significant decline" in the rate of approvals for aid entry requests compared to last December.
Dujarric stressed that "every day we cannot deliver aid results in loss of lives and suffering for thousands of people still in North Gaza."
Medical Equipment and Water
The shipments include medical equipment, fuel, and water and sanitation facilities, intended for delivery to the city of Gaza and its northern regions, which the Israeli authorities have rejected, as confirmed by Dujarric.
Since October 7th, Israel has continued to close the crossings connecting the Gaza Strip with the outside world, while the Rafah crossing has been partially opened for the entry of limited aid, the exit of some patients and the injured, and a number of foreign passport holders.
On November 24th, Israel permitted the entry of limited quantities of humanitarian aid into the Strip through the Rafah crossing, amidst a week-long truce between the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza and Israel that was reached through mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, which included a prisoner exchange deal.
For 98 days, the Israeli occupation has waged an aggression on Gaza, resulting in 23,469 martyrs and 59,604 injured individuals – most of them children and women – and causing tremendous destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the sector's authorities and the United Nations.
