ADMIN
The United Nations said on Tuesday it was unable to deliver aid from the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza Strip because of lawlessness and panic among starving people in the area, despite a pause in Israeli military operations during the day.
Israel's military said on Sunday that there would be a daily pause in its offensive from 0500 GMT to 1600 GMT until further notice along the Salah al-Din Road from Israel through the Keram Shalom crossing and the road north to Gaza.
The United Nations welcomed the move, UN spokesman Farhan Haque said Tuesday, but added that “it has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need.” He said the area between Keram Shalom and Salah Al-Din roads is very dangerous.
“Fighting is not the only reason for not being able to get help…the lack of police or rule of law in the area makes it very dangerous to move goods there,” he said.
“But we are ready to engage with all parties to ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza, and we will continue to work with the authorities and the security forces, to see what can be done for the security situation,” Haque said.
“When aid arrives somewhere, people are hungry, and they worry that this may be the last food they see,” he said. “They need to be assured that there will be a regular flow of goods so that there is no panic when we reach the area.”
Dangers of aid delivery to Gaza
The United Nations and aid groups have long complained of dangers and obstacles to getting and distributing aid across Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that a famine is looming.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than eight months ago, aid for 2.3 million Palestinians has entered southern Gaza primarily through two crossings – the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Keram Shalom crossing from Israel.
But deliveries were disrupted when Israel stepped up its military operation in Rafah last month with the stated goal of routing remaining units of Hamas fighters. Egypt has closed the Rafah crossing and routed a backlog of aid and fuel through Kerem Shalom due to threats to humanitarian operations.
Hoque said on Tuesday that the Rafah crossing remains closed and there is limited access through Kerem Shalom. In northern Gaza, he said the Erez crossing was inaccessible due to the escalation of fighting, while the western Erez and Zikim crossings remained open.
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