Gaza committees halt aid work as Israeli killing of members continues
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The Popular and Tribal Committees for Securing Aid in Gaza urge the United Nations to facilitate the return of UNRWA, the World Food Programme, and the Red Cross to operate in the Strip.
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Blood-soaked flour box after Israelis committed a massacre targeting Palestinians collecting food aid, killing nearly 120 people in the west of Gaza City, Gaza on February 29, 2024 (Social media)
The Popular and Tribal Committees for Securing Aid in Gaza Governorate and Northern Gaza announced on Sunday suspending aid provision due to the ongoing Israeli strikes targeting their members waiting for trucks on Salah al-Din Street - Kuwait Roundabout.
The Israeli occupation forces have committed several massacres against the committee's members, resulting in the martyrdom of over 70 people.
Read more: Four, including 2 children, die of malnutrition, dehydration in Gaza
In their statement, the committees urged the United Nations to facilitate the return of UNRWA, the World Food Programme, and the Red Cross to operate in Gaza Governorate and Northern Gaza. They also advocated for the implementation of a comprehensive relief program to address the needs of families, both in terms of the required commodities and their size.
They stated that they launched the initiative to provide aid to those in need due to the absence of UN institutions, stressing that the decision was based on consultations with the relevant institutions, other international organizations, and appeals from the Palestinian people for basic assistance. The initiative was also prompted by a series of massacres committed by the occupation forces against civilians on the al-Shati Road and Salah al-Din Street while they awaited aid.
Read more: ICJ orders 'Israel' to ensure unhindered flow of aid to Gaza
The committees asserted that the occupation was behind the chaos and famine by deliberately obstructing the work of international institutions such as the Red Cross, UNRWA, and the World Food Programme in Gaza Governorate and Northern Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Saturday that 17 Palestinians were killed and 30 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Popular and Tribal Committees at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City while they were waiting to receive humanitarian aid to distribute it to the families in the enclave.
Commenting on the ongoing Israeli massacres against aid workers, the Supreme Council for Palestinian Clan Affairs in Gaza said on Saturday that the Israeli assassinations reflect "the extent of the fascist occupation's anger toward Palestine and also express the extent of its helplessness and failure to undermine the unity of the Palestinian internal front."
Read more: 'Israel' killed 137 journalists in Gaza, largest on record in decades
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs warned on Thursday that "time is running out, and obstacles to accessing aid persist in the Gaza Strip."
The statement emphasized that "over 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing severe levels of food insecurity," asserting that "there is no alternative to delivering aid by land to save lives, particularly in northern Gaza."
Ismail al-Thawabteh, the Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, also warned that the nightmare of famine in the northern Gaza Strip will continue if aid is not delivered on a sustainable basis.
Al-Thawabteh explained that the Gaza Strip needs aid to be delivered by land, air, and sea, adding that what is being delivered does not cater for 5% of the needs.
