Bolivia decries Israeli obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip
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With a tone of dismay, Bolivia's Foreign Minister stresses the urgent necessity of allowing the 90-ton shipment of humanitarian aid from Bolivia to reach its destination.
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Bolivia's Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda attending the 23rd Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues of the United Nations on April 16, 2024 (X)
Bolivia's Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda strongly condemned, on Friday, the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, expressing dismay as the 90-ton humanitarian aid shipment from Bolivia remains stalled at the Rafah border.
The Bolivian government urged Israeli authorities to permit the aid's passage, emphasizing the critical need for its delivery.
“I cannot but condemn the systematic blockade that Israel is implementing to prevent humanitarian operations in Gaza... Obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people is a very serious violation of human rights and will worsen the situation of the population in the conflict zone,” the minister told reporters in La Paz.
This comes at a time when the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip was completely obstructed after the IOF occupied the Rafah border crossing last Tuesday.
'Israel' closure of Gaza crossings 'completely crippling aid': UN
A top UN official said Thursday that "Israel's" blockade of major crossings into Gaza has shut off the main entrance route for supplies, notably gasoline, making humanitarian operations nearly impossible.
Andrea De Domenico, head of the United Nations Humanitarian Agency, OCHA, in the occupied Palestinian territories expressed that the "main entry point for all humanitarian aid" had been lost.
De Domenico said as quoted by AFP that while "Israel" claims to have reopened Karem Abu Salem on Wednesday, getting supplies in remains extremely difficult, adding that the Rafah gate, through which all petroleum into Gaza flows, remains blocked, implying that no fuel is entering.
"In Gaza there are no stocks" of fuel, he stated, emphasizing that this meant "no movement."
"It is completely crippling the humanitarian operations."
Number of people in Gaza killed by airdrops rises to 21
The head of the Government Media Office in Gaza revealed on Thursday that the number of martyrs due to airdrops improperly executed has risen to 21 Palestinians.
Salama Marouf confirmed in a statement that airdrop operations now pose a real threat to the lives of those in Gaza.
He reported that 12 Palestinians were martyred by drowning while trying to get aid that fell into the sea, adding that eight others were martyred as a result of the stampede or the load falling on them after parachutes failed to open.
Marouf said that one of the Palestinians was martyred as a result of being shot by the occupation forces while he was waiting for aid, noting that 30% of the airdrop contents were thrown into the sea, or bordering areas where the IOF prevented access to Palestinians.
It is worth noting that the number of Palestinians killed by "Israel" in Gaza has reached 34,904, with 78,514 others injured, as per Gaza's Health Ministry.
Read more: 'Israel' says to proceed with Rafah invasion, declares talks 'over'
