Amid reports of yet another deadly attack on a school in Gaza on Wednesday, the UN’s top aid official Tom Fletcher welcomed growing international calls for lifesaving aid work by established agencies to resume in the war-torn enclave.“We value the support of more and more Member States who are joining our call: Let us work,” Mr. Fletcher said, his comments coinciding with the announcement that the US and Israeli-backed aid hub in southern Gaza operating independently of the UN had been suspended on Wednesday.“The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,” Mr. Fletcher said.New Security Council resolutionThe development comes ahead of a Security Council meeting on Gaza on Wednesday seeking agreement on a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages taken during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.The resolution push is the result of lobbying by the body’s 10 non-permanent Members. It remains to be seen if it will garner the support of the US and the four other countries that hold just five permanent seats on the 15-Member body: China, France, the UK and Russia. Any one of them could veto it.Meanwhile in Gaza, local authorities on Wednesday claimed that at least 12 people including children had been killed in an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the southern city of Khan Younis.In his appeal, Mr. Fletcher noted that medical teams had confirmed treating “hundreds of trauma cases” in recent days after footage showed chaotic scenes of Palestinians rushing to take food from the US and Israeli-run aid hubs in southern Gaza.“Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire,” Mr. Fletcher continued.He insisted: “Open the crossings – all of them. Let in lifesaving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in. Ensure our convoys aren’t held up by delays and denials.”Health system crumblingMr. Fletcher also warned that the crisis in Gaza is the result of “a series of deliberate choices” that have left two million people deprived of the essentials they need to survive.He urged Israel to open all crossings into the war-torn enclave, lift restrictions on aid, and allow safe and sustained access for humanitarian convoys.According to the UN relief wing, OCHA, more than 100,000 people have been newly displaced in the Gaza Strip over the past three weeks, as access to health services continues to deteriorate.The Indonesian Hospital in the north was evacuated earlier this week, leaving no functional hospitals in the northern governorate.In Gaza City, UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Suzanna Tkalec visited Al Ahli Hospital, where staff said preventable deaths are occurring due to shortages of antibiotics and other critical supplies.  Challenges accessing aidMeanwhile, the UN and its partners continue to send supplies to Kerem Shalom crossing, where the Israeli authorities scan them before they can enter Gaza, a UN spokesperson said.“For today, we submitted over 130 pre-cleared truckloads for a second and final Israeli clearance, but only 50 of them – which were carrying flour – were approved to enter the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing,” Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at a regular briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York.UN teams on the ground are also working hard to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom and bring them closer to the people who need them inside Gaza, he added, noting however that these attempts are facing major hurdles.“Just yesterday, one attempt was denied access altogether and another one did manage to retrieve just over a dozen truckloads carrying flour. Overall, since the crossing reopened, we’ve been able to collect fewer than 400 truckloads, even though every day we have tried to coordinate access and secure safe routes through the Israeli-militarized zone in the south.” , filtered_html

UN human rights chief Volker Türk has condemned new reports that dozens more Gazans were killed early Tuesday “trying to access paltry amounts of food” around a private aid hub in the south of the enclave run by the US and Israel.“Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, issued after Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking assistance for a third day running.Mr. Türk also urged Israel to respect “binding orders” issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza “without delay” and “at scale”.“There is no justification for failing to comply with these obligations,” he said.UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid, which are "unacceptable,” and continues to call for an independent investigation into the incidents.“Once again, we are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza," he told journalists in New York. “Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives to get food.”  Access calls deniedThe controversial new aid initiative run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation bypasses the work of UN aid agencies which have repeatedly appealed for unimpeded access to Gaza in order to bring in thousands of tonnes of supplies. To date, the little aid that has been allowed into the enclave has fallen far short of what is needed.In an update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that it still had “teams on the ground” in Gaza ready to distribute supplies where they are needed across the war-torn enclave, if only they could be allowed to move.“We have right now 51 trucks waiting loaded with medical supplies to go to those few hospitals that are still functional,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic. “We need access so that we can bring in supplies within Gaza to health facilities so they can function. Unfortunately, what is happening is just the opposite. There is no hospital in north Gaza functional anymore.”On Monday, Mr. Jasarevic said that a WHO team went to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza “and basically evacuated all remaining patients and medical staff…now that hospital is completely empty”. In Jabalia, also in northern Gaza, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed on Monday when their vehicle struck an explosive device.Most vulnerable miss outCritics of the US-Israeli scheme - which include the UN - have warned that it prevents children, the elderly and those with disabilities from receiving aid, since recipients often have to walk long distances to retrieve boxes of supplies distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.“The wilful impediment of access to food and other life-sustaining relief supplies for civilians may constitute a war crime,” Mr. Türk said.His lengthy statement also condemned “the threat of starvation” faced by Gazans today, the “20 months of killing of civilians and destruction on a massive scale”.Gazans have also been repeatedly displaced by evacuation orders from the Israeli military and faced “intolerable, dehumanizing rhetoric and threats by Israel’s leadership to empty the Strip”, the UN rights chief noted. All of these facts constitute elements of the most serious crimes under international law, he insisted.‘Am I going to get shot?’Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, highlighted the High Commissioner’s call for a prompt, independent investigation into the dozens of reported killings in Gaza since the new aid hub opened on 27 May.“I think there's so much which has happened in the past three days apart from the tragic circumstances of human beings trying to gather food to survive and then being killed in the process,” he told journalists in Geneva. “[Gazans] are being forced to walk to these centres and now they're terrified. Probably they go there and they're thinking, ‘Am I going to get food or am I going to get shot?’”Mr. Laurence noted multiple media reports on killings around the southern Gaza aid hub in recent days indicating engagement by helicopters, naval vessels, tanks and ground troops.“We are aware of those reports,” he said, noting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had also published an account on X of what had happened on Tuesday.“My colleagues who are working on the ground have conducted interviews with witnesses and they do report fire from the IDF on those trying to access the food distribution centres. We've received reports from other organizations on the ground to a similar effect.”He added: “We've gathered our own information; we've spoken to witnesses on the ground who have shared what they have seen, heard and felt themselves.”Asked to explain what the High Commissioner meant when he expressed concerns that the “most serious crimes under international law” may have been committed, Mr. Laurence explained that this referred to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.Young lives in dangerMeanwhile, humanitarians report a sharp rise in child labour and early marriage in Gaza, as well as family separation – all driven by hunger, displacement and economic turmoil.“Children are increasingly exposed to violence and exploitation during chaotic distributions of basic supplies – including in crowds, when people take flour directly from trucks,” said Mr. Dujarric, the UN Spokesperson, noting that children with disabilities are often the worst affected.Israel also issued another displacement order on Monday covering four neighbourhoods in Khan Younis, affecting some 45,000 people.Aid ‘still just a trickle’Mr. Dujarric said the UN and partners continue to make the most of the limited opening for aid delivery which began last month following nearly 80 days of blockade.“But as we’ve said before, what’s coming in – and if it does come in - is still just a trickle and does not meet the immense needs on the ground,” he remarked.“We have enough supplies lined up and ready, close to Gaza. But only limited amounts are actually reaching the people who need them, and that’s because of conditions on the ground.”In particular, the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA warns of bottlenecks in the Kerem Shalom border crossing, the only one Israel allows for aid into Gaza.He said that since 17 May, only half of the pre-cleared supplies submitted for a second and final clearance by Israel has made it through to the Palestinian side of the crossing.“In total, the UN and our partners submitted over 1,200 pre-cleared truckloads for final Israeli clearance,” he said. Just over 920 truckloads were approved and some 620 have made it to the Palestinian side.Of the supplies scanned in Kerem Shalom - which include flour as well as medical and nutrition items - UN teams have managed to collect about 370 truckloads and bring them inside Gaza. Mr. Dujarric explained that access to the crossing “requires driving through militarized zones where bombings are continuing” and UN teams have to follow routes that are approved by the Israeli authorities.“Yesterday, 10 of 13 attempts to coordinate such movements were rejected. And those included the collection of supplies from Kerem Shalom, but also other life-saving operations such as trucking water to North Gaza or relocating fuel stocks to where they are needed,” he said.  , filtered_html

More than 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded while waiting in the morning to get food from two sites in Rafah and Middle Gaza run by the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to media reports.The organization is backed by Israel and the United States and uses private US security contractors supervised by the Israeli military. Aid distributions began at the end of May, bypassing the UN and other humanitarian agencies.Risking their livesUN chief António Guterres issued a statement on Monday saying he was “appalled” by the reports.“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said.“I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable."He stressed that Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian aid. Allow UN operations“The unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately,” he said.“The UN must be allowed to work in safety and security under conditions of full respect of humanitarian principles.Meanwhile, the Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate permanent, sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.“This is the only path to ensuring security for all. There is no military solution to the conflict,” he insisted.Lift aid restrictionsThe UN has repeatedly called for the full lifting of restrictions on aid and other essentials to meet the immense needs in the Gaza Strip, where more than two million people are at risk of famine following some 20 months of war and a near total three-month aid blockade.Israel recently lifted the ban temporarily, allowing UN agencies to bring in limited quantities of baby formula, flour, medicines and other assistance through the Kerem Shalom border crossing until the GHF became operational.The Secretary-General and other senior officials have repeatedly stated that the UN will not participate in any aid plan that does not respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality. Worsening conditionsThe UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said on Monday that the situation on the ground continues to worsen by the day, pointing to the mass casualties at the two distribution sites as well as ongoing attacks against health facilities.The Noura Al Kaabi Centre for dialysis in North Gaza was reportedly hit on Sunday, the agency said. Moreover, the Gaza health authorities report that 40 per cent of dialysis patients in the enclave have died since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023 because centres were either struck or unreachable.New displacement order“As hostilities continue, people have once again been forced to flee,” OCHA said.On Saturday, Israel issued another displacement order in Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, affecting around 100,000 people living in more than 200 displacement sites. Humanitarians estimate that since 18 March, more than 640,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, or nearly a third of the population.“The latest displacement order also deprived at least 8,000 students of learning, as tens of functioning temporary learning spaces and a dozen public schools had to suspend their operations,” OCHA added.Child malnutrition and looting The UN and partners continue efforts to identify and treat malnutrition whenever possible and as dwindling supplies allow, distributing supplements to about 40,000 children last week despite severe challenges and restrictions on humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, looting incidents continue to be reported amid the deprivation, hunger and lack of adequate food distribution.“The vast majority are people taking flour directly from open trucks, out of clear desperation. However, humanitarian teams have also started observing some criminal looting again,” OCHA said.Water woes persistGazans also continue to be plagued by frequent water shortages. For example, the pipeline in Deir Al-Balah, which supplied at least 12,000 cubic metres every day, is still not operational.“Humanitarians’ attempts to carry out coordinated missions to repair it have been denied,” said OCHA, noting that on Monday, Israel also denied five missions to distribute potable water in displacement camps in Jabaliya, located in North Gaza.Attempts to deliver aidOCHA added that over the weekend, the UN and partners kept working to bring supplies through the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.More than 100 truckloads of food and medical supplies were picked up on Saturday and Sunday, bringing to more than 300 the number of truckloads collected from the Gaza side of the crossing since it was reopened.“Today, one of our attempts to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom was denied. Another was still ongoing, awaiting a green light from Israeli authorities, a pause in the bombing along the route, and the allocation of a viable path,” the agency said.OCHA stressed that “even when the crossing is open, severe restrictions on what humanitarians can bring in – both in terms of volume and variety – mean that the supplies currently entering Gaza are still just a trickle and fall far short of what people need.” , filtered_html

Amid disputed reports of Israeli forces firing on civilians near a new privatised aid distribution point in southern Gaza, the head of the Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, said on Sunday that lifting the months-long aid blockade of the enclave is the only way to avoid “mass starvation”.Philippe Lazzarini posted on social media saying that aid distribution “has become a death trap,” citing reports from international medical staff on the ground and local health authorities who reported at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians were lining up to receive aid from the Israel and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which bypasses existing aid agencies.‘Humiliating system’“A distribution point by the Israeli-American plan was put far south in Rafah,” Mr. Lazzarini said on X.“This humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli army.”He said aid delivery and distribution “must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.”Gaza's defence agency said Israeli forces had been responsible for the gunfire. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which uses private contractors and involves Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to secure its sites – has strongly denied that civilians were fired on, accusing Hamas militants of misinformation.Disputed eventsThe IDF said on social media that reports of them firing towards residents receiving aid from the foundation were false: “Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.”The IDF posted video which it said showed gunmen shooting at civilians collecting aid, adding that “Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza.”Medical staff at Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis told media outlets that around 79 people were admitted on Sunday, mostly with gunshot wounds, along with the bodies of some of those killed. Journalists on the scene posted video footage of bodies being carried on carts along with wounded arrivals.‘Lift the siege’UNRWA chief Lazzarini called on Israel to lift the three-month old aid blockade and allow safe and unhindered access. “This is the only way to avert mass starvation including among one million children.”Highlighting the difficulties of clearly establishing facts on the ground due to Israel’s ban on international media from entering the Gaza Strip, the UNRWA chief said that amid competing narratives and “disinformation campaigns in full gear,” the ban on eyewitness reporting must be lifted immediately., filtered_html