UN food agency halts operations in Gaza after team attacked

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday a pause in the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice following an attack on a team returning from an aid delivery mission on Tuesday evening, just metres from an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.

“This is totally unacceptable and the latest in a series of unnecessary security incidents that have endangered the lives of WFP’s team in Gaza,” said the UN agency’s Executive Director Cindy McCain, calling on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to act immediately to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza.

Thankfully, no one was injured in the attack, WFP said.

“As last night’s events show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot go on any longer,” Ms. McCain added.

Coordination ‘not working’

A “clearly marked UN humanitarian vehicle – part of a convoy that had been fully coordinated with the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF – was struck 10 times by IDF gunfire, including with bullets targeting front windows,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a briefing at UN Headquarters on Wednesday.

“This is the latest incident to underscore that systems in place for coordination are not working,” he said, adding that “we will continue to work with the IDF to ensure that incidents like that do not happen again.”

Reiterating that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times, the UN Spokesperson said civilians must be protected, and their essential needs, including food, water, shelter and health, must be met wherever they may be in Gaza.

“This applies to those under evacuation orders regardless of whether they move or not, and those who leave must have enough time to do so as well as a safe route and safe places,” he said.

Under fire after aid mission

The team had been returning from a mission on Tuesday night to Kerem Shalom with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.

“Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an IDF checkpoint,” WFP said.

Just a few metres from that checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza Bridge, WFP reported that the vehicle sustained at least 10 bullets – five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of it.

Stark reminder

Though this is not the first security incident to occur during the 10-month-long war, the agency said it is the first time that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances, as per standard protocol.

“The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where increasing violence compromises our ability to deliver lifesaving assistance,” WFP said.

The already critical situation is exacerbated by restricted access and heightened risks, leading to decreased food supplies reaching those in desperate need, the UN food agency stated.

The Kerem Shalom border crossing. (file)

Increasingly under fire

Humanitarians are increasingly coming under fire and face a multitude of challenges to deliver lifesaving aid in Gaza, according to WFP.

Frequent and ongoing evacuation orders continue to uproot both families and food relief operations intended to support them, the agency reported.

Last week, WFP lost access to its third and last operational warehouse in Gaza’s middle area, while five of WFP’s operated community kitchens had to be evacuated.

“This week, on Sunday 25 August, the evacuation orders impacted the main WFP operating hub in Deir Al-Balah, forcing our team to relocate for the third time since the war started,” the agency said, calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of humanitarian workers, and uphold their commitment to facilitating the delivery of vital and lifesaving aid.