DaysofPal- The survival of Gaza’s two million inhabitants now “hangs in the balance,” according to Muhannad Hadi, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
According to a statement released Thursday, Israeli authorities have banned all commercial imports from entering the Strip for more than six weeks, and bakeries are closing quickly due to a shortage of flour or fuel to run power generators.
“At the same time, a surge in armed looting targeting humanitarian convoys and truck drivers, fuelled by the breakdown in public order and safety, has further crippled our ability to collect supplies from border areas and deliver critical aid,” he added.
Pushed to the brink, civilians lack access to essential support they desperately need, while so far this year UN trucks have been looted 75 times – including 15 such attacks since 4 November alone – while looters have broken into UN facilities on 34 occasions.
“Just last week, one driver was shot in the head and hospitalized, along with another truck driver”, Hadi recounted. “This Saturday, no less than 98 trucks were looted in a single attack, with trucks being damaged or stolen.”
He added that although agencies remain committed to staying and delivering, “our ability to do so is increasingly being called into question.”
It is essential to reestablish the rule of law to allow safe and unimpeded access, he added.
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris stated earlier this month that the humanitarian and human rights situation for Palestinian civilians throughout Gaza is catastrophic. She cited the recent warning from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification that “there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent” in the northern parts of the Strip.
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