The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Muhannad Hadi has said the United Nations and humanitarian organisations face “continuous obstruction and insecurity in their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the devastated population in Gaza”, Al Jazeera reports.
Hadi cited an incident yesterday in which a team of twelve UN staff members, whose movement was coordinated with the Israeli military, was stopped on its way to North Gaza to support the third phase of the Gaza Strip-wide polio vaccination campaign.
According to Hadi, soldiers pointed their weapons towards the convoy personnel. Then, they fired live shots, and tanks and bulldozers damaged UN vehicles, “endangering the lives of UN staff inside the vehicles”.
After seven and a half hours at the checkpoint, the convoy returned to base without being able to fulfil its humanitarian mission to support the polio campaign, Hadi added.
“This incident highlights the ongoing dangers and obstacles humanitarian personnel face in Gaza. Despite daily coordination of humanitarian movements with the Israeli [military], our staff and assets were not provided with sufficient protection, hindering our work. Under international humanitarian law, such protection is mandatory,” he said.
