GAZA: The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees said one of its aid warehouses in the besieged Gaza Strip was struck by the Israeli military on Wednesday, wounding scores of people. “We can confirm that an UNRWA warehouse/distribution centre in Rafah (southern Gaza) has been hit,” the agency spokeswoman Juliette Touma told AFP.
Confirming the incident, UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma said that the Israeli strike caused injuries to a large number of people. Touma emphasized that the facility served as a vital hub for the distribution of essential food and life-saving supplies to displaced Palestinians in the region.
Details surrounding the nature of the attack and the extent of casualties are still emerging, with Touma stating, “We do not yet have more information on what exactly happened nor the number of UNRWA staff impacted.”
The Gaza health ministry reported that four persons were killed in the bombing of the warehouse. Witnesses observed victims of the incident being transported to Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, with at least one person identified as a UN employee by fellow patients.
This distressing incident unfolds amidst escalating concerns regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has conducted military operations since October with the stated aim of neutralizing the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Israeli Attacks Kill Over 31,272 Palestinians in Gaza Since Oct 7
However, since October 7, the ongoing Israeli attacks have caused a devastating toll on Gaza’s civilian population, with health ministry figures indicating that at least 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since the onset of Israel’s military campaign in October. Additionally, as of March 4, a total of 162 UNRWA employees have been killed in the conflict.
The dire food shortages plaguing Gaza have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, resulting in 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, primarily among children, according to ministry reports.
Compounding the challenges faced by aid delivery efforts are cumbersome Israeli security checks on incoming cargoes, which slow down the distribution process. Aid workers have reported instances of trucks being turned back due to the presence of prohibited items, further hindering relief operations.
Meanwhile, the government led by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza has expressed dissatisfaction with the recent initiative to send an aid ship from Cyprus to the besieged territory, asserting that it falls short of meeting the urgent needs of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.
Salama Marouf, spokesman for the government press office, emphasized in a statement on Wednesday that the cargo onboard the aid ship, expected to take days to arrive, is insufficient and equivalent to only one or two trucks’ worth of supplies.
Marouf raised logistical concerns regarding the operation, including uncertainties about the ship’s docking location and the process of reaching Gaza’s shores, as well as apprehensions about Israeli inspections.
He highlighted the fact that a maritime aid corridor is notably less efficient than overland routes, echoing sentiments echoed by UN agencies recently. Marouf urged for international pressure on Israel to facilitate the passage of aid trucks through its border crossings.
The aid ship, a former salvage vessel operated by Spanish charity Open Arms, embarked on its journey from Cyprus to Gaza on Tuesday, towing a barge loaded with 200 tonnes of aid in a trial run for the maritime corridor. However, as of Wednesday, the vessel had yet to complete the nearly 400-kilometre (250-mile) crossing of the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza.
In response to Gaza’s pressing humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by more than five months of war, aid organizations have underscored the urgent need for increased access to essential supplies. Before the conflict, nearly 500 trucks per day entered Gaza, but the current average stands at only 112 trucks per day, according to UNRWA.
