UN Aid Convoys Struggle to Reach Starving Gaza
GAZA — In a race against time, less than half of the UN aid convoys scheduled for Gaza’s hunger-stricken north have successfully reached their destination this month. Despite urgent pleas from the international community to increase relief efforts for over one million people teetering on the edge of starvation, UN humanitarians reported on Wednesday that progress has been hindered.
According to the latest update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), only 11 out of 24 planned missions were “facilitated” by Israeli authorities in the first two weeks of March.
“The rest were either denied or postponed,” OCHA stated, highlighting that five convoys were denied entry while eight were delayed.
OCHA emphasized that the facilitated missions focused on food distributions, nutrition and health assessments, and supplying hospitals. The ongoing “humanitarian access constraints” continue to impede the timely delivery of life-saving assistance, particularly to hundreds of thousands of people in northern Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the calls for increased aid access, urging Israeli authorities to ensure unimpeded delivery of humanitarian goods throughout Gaza. He called on the international community to fully support humanitarian efforts in the region.
Despite efforts to coordinate aid deliveries to northern Gaza, truck convoys often face delays and rejections at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, the gateway to the enclave’s northern areas.
While three out of four relief missions to southern areas of Gaza were granted access, OCHA reported that the situation in the north is dire, with famine looming and reports of casualties in aid convoy attacks.
UNRWA warned that the current rate of aid delivery is insufficient to meet the growing needs in Gaza, emphasizing that a ceasefire and release of hostages are crucial for ensuring adequate aid reaches the region.
Efforts to facilitate aid deliveries are ongoing, with talks between delegations including Israel, the US, and Egypt taking place in Qatar. As the death toll rises and injuries mount in Gaza, the need for urgent humanitarian action becomes increasingly critical. — UN News
