The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) announced Sunday it is suspending aid deliveries through Gaza's main cargo crossing due to armed lootings of recent convoys, reports the Associated Press.
#BREAKING ?:
We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into #Gaza.The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months.
On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs.
Yesterday, we…— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) December 1, 2024
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, said the route to the Kerem Shalom crossing has become too dangerous on the Gaza side. On November 16, 2024, 97 out of 109 trucks were taken at gunpoint, and a smaller shipment was stolen on Saturday, according to Lazzarini. Humanitarian organizations estimate that only a fraction of the required aid has been reaching the territory, even before this latest disruption.
In a post on X, Lazzarini attributed the breakdown of humanitarian operations to Israel, citing "the ongoing siege, hurdles from Israeli authorities, political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid, lack of safety on aid routes," and Israel's targeting of the Hamas-run police force that had previously provided "law and order."
#Watch: It appears that Hamas snatches the UAE aid intended for the people of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/BCpeFpBmb4
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 14, 2024
Former Editor in Chief of the Jerusalem Post Avi Mayer wrote on X, "What a loathsome, laughable person the head of UNRWA is. Here he admits that "armed gangs" are stealing aid meant for the people of Gaza, but he can't bring himself to say that they're Palestinian and that Hamas itself has stolen much of it. Instead he blames… Israel. Clown."
Emily Schrader, an American-Israeli activist, commented on X, "So UNRWA is halts delivery of humanitarian aid because terrorists continue violently looting aid… yet somehow this is still Israel's fault. Welcome to UNRWA."
Israel passed legislation last month to sever ties with UNRWA after intelligence reports that approximately 450 UNRWA employees had ties to Hamas, with 12 staff members taking part in the October 7 massacre. UNRWA denies any Hamas infiltration within its ranks. The agency maintains that it has strict protocols in place to ensure its neutrality and prevent any misuse of its resources.
