DaysofPal- The United Nations has accused the Israeli occupation of refusing to allow nearly 4,000 pallets of urgent humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10.
Speaking at a press briefing, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday that Israeli occupation “still is not facilitating the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” despite repeated appeals from international organizations.
According to the UN, aid agencies working in the region continue to face severe obstacles in delivering the supplies already in their possession.
“Since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October, the Israeli occupation has rejected requests from nine of our humanitarian partners to bring in around 4,000 pallets of essential, life-saving supplies to Gaza, including tents, bedding kits, cooking utensils, and blankets,” Dujarric said.
Earlier, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, as Israeli occupation continues to impede sufficient aid from reaching civilians more than a month into the ceasefire.
“Laerke said progress on aid access has been extremely slow, describing the situation as like running in sand, because humanitarian organizations are trying to move faster than the restrictions imposed by Israel allow.” He added.
He also underscored that the number of trucks entering Gaza is not an adequate indicator of the real volume of aid reaching the population, noting that the needs far exceed what is currently allowed in.
Laerke concluded by emphasizing that the ceasefire did not end the humanitarian disaster: “What Gaza needs is a continuous and safe flow of aid without political or security barriers, so that civilians can survive with dignity.”
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