Israel allows only one-third of planned humanitarian missions to Gaza: UN

WASHINGTON

Israel authorized just a third of planned humanitarian missions to Gaza last week, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory deepens with the onset of winter.

As UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the briefing, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that of 129 planned missions, only about a third had been approved by Israeli authorities.

He added that the remaining missions were refused, hindered or canceled for security or logistical reasons.

“As winter approaches, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip urgently need adequate shelter to protect them from the rain and cold. Our partners are distributing tents and tarpaulins as quickly as possible, but only a fraction of the supplies needed reach Gaza, Dujarrić said.

He added that hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are currently living in makeshift shelters or dilapidated buildings, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip, where the ongoing war and Israel’s blockade have increased both displacement and humanitarian needs.

According to the latest UN figures, more than 36,000 tarpaulins and 58,000 sealing kits have been purchased, but are stuck outside Gaza awaiting entry approval.

“These deliveries will be enough to benefit over 76,000 families, or approximately 400,000 people,” Dujarric said.

The UN and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for unimpeded access to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, warning of serious consequences for civilians if access remains restricted.

Israel launched a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip after last year’s Hamas attack that killed more than 44,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured more than 104,000.

Israel faces a genocide trial before the International Court of Justice over its deadly war in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, the International Criminal Court announced it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

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