IOF escalation in Rafah threatens humanitarian operations in Gaza: WFP
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The UN World Food Programme warns against the escalation of Israeli actions in Rafah calling for the opening of further crossing points to the Strip.
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Palestinians line up for food distribution in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, May 10, 2024 (AP)
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) urged the opening of additional crossing points into the Gaza Strip saying they are a lifeline for the Palestinians.
WFP warned that the escalation of IOF activity in Rafah risks stopping humanitarian operations in Gaza.
Truckers recount 'barbaric' settler attack on Gaza aid convoy
Palestinian truck drivers delivering aid to Gaza recounted "barbaric" scenes as their vehicles were obstructed and vandalized by Israeli settlers, hindering the delivery of vital humanitarian supplies to a population facing severe hunger.
The attack, which occurred on May 13 at the Tarqumiya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, saw drivers and contractors targeted. They also asserted that Israeli soldiers escorting the convoy did nothing to prevent the assault.
Zionist settlers attack and destroy food on aid trucks headed for Gaza. pic.twitter.com/FDhiZjjRgp
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) May 15, 2024
The incident drew international condemnation after videos on social media showed Israeli settlers throwing boxes of essential supplies to the ground and setting at least one vehicle on fire.
Yazid al-Zoubi, 26, stated that the convoy consisted of 50 to 60 trucks.
"We were carrying oil, sugar, and other things and driving from the Tarqumiya crossing," he said, as quoted by The Guardian.
"We left in a convoy with an army vehicle in front of us and an army vehicle behind us, and we took a special army road that civilians could not cross. Suddenly, after 20 minutes on the road, near the crossing, we were surprised by at least 400 settlers. They attacked us. The rest of the drivers and I escaped from the vehicles after the settlers started throwing stones at us," he added.
Zoubi recounted that the situation escalated when settlers began smashing the lorries' windscreens and puncturing their tires. They then climbed onto the vehicles and tossed food packages onto the road.
This comes although aid agencies have reported famine conditions in Gaza, attributing them to Israeli restrictions on aid entering the territory. Humanitarian officials state that Gaza's population requires at least 500 truckloads of food, fuel, and other essentials daily, but they have received only a small portion of that, with weeks going by without one truck of aid coming into the enclave.
