UN food agency cuts aid deliveries to northern Gaza
3 Min Read
As part of efforts to phase out aid in the Gaza Strip, the WFP announced its decision to cease the supply of aid to the Strip's war and invasion-afflicted northern region.
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Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 (AP)
As part of efforts to phase out supplies of aid to the besieged Strip, the World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday announced it had suspended aid supplies to the northern parts of Gaza after a convoy of trucks was reportedly looted.
The agency said that a convoy that was on its way to the north after a three-week halt "faced complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order."
The agency is well aware that food and water are already scarce, and the situation in the Strip exposes "unprecedented levels of desperation," as reported by its teams.
WFP said it planned to deploy trucks of food daily for seven days, but on Sunday the convoy had to 'fend off' the starving residents' attempts to "climb aboard our trucks, then facing gunfire once we entered Gaza City."
Read more: Day 137: 29,195 martyred, 69,170 injured in Gaza
"Several trucks were looted... and a truck driver was beaten. The remaining flour was spontaneously distributed off the trucks in Gaza City amidst high tension and explosive anger," it added.
The WFP stated that it was compelled to halt the deliveries "until conditions are in place that allow for safe distributions," adding that the decision was not taken lightly because it "means the situation there will deteriorate further and more people risk dying of hunger".
🆕STATEMENT: WFP is pausing the delivery of lifesaving food assistance to Northern Gaza until safe conditions are in place for our staff and the people we are trying to reach.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) February 20, 2024
Our decision to pause deliveries to the north has not been taken lightly. The safety and security to… pic.twitter.com/eNc7d3kZDZ
Genocide in the making
As part of efforts to phase out aid in the Strip, "Israel" has been boycotting crucial aid agencies, including UNRWA, which has been the subject of unfounded accusations by the Israeli regime.
Last Saturday, in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tamedia, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the Israeli regime had been actively working on dismantling the agency and that these efforts were part of a "concerted campaign" with long-term political goals.
According to Lazzarini, the Israeli government believes that abolishing UNRWA will lead to the resolution of the status of Palestinian refugees and their right to return.
Read more: 'Israel' destroys Gaza UNRWA rehab center for visually impaired
Lazzarini highlighted various actions taken by the Israeli regime against UNRWA, including parliamentary measures, attempts to revoke the agency's VAT exemption, and directives for contractors at the Israeli "Ashdod" port to cease handling specific food deliveries for the UN agency.
The UNRWA chief also claimed that more than 150 UNRWA installations had been targeted since the beginning of the war on Gaza.
The Israeli regime has called for Lazzarini's resignation in connection to the false allegation that 12 of UNRWA's members were affiliated with the October 7 operation conducted by the Palestinian Resistance. As a result, the UK, the US, and 14 other countries have opted to defund the organization, primarily led by the United States, prior to any investigation and without any proof provided.
But Lazzarini has refuted calls for his resignation, claiming they are part of an orchestrated campaign by Israeli authorities to bring down the organization.
