Israel Blocks UNRWA Aid to Northern Gaza, Fueling Famine Fears
Israel has stopped giving UNRWA Aid to Northern Gaza, making it harder for people to get food. The United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says this is making a bad situation worse. Philippe Lazzarini, who runs UNRWA, says Israel told them they can’t bring food to the north anymore. He says this is very bad because it stops them from saving lives during a famine caused by people.
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Israel didn’t say why they stopped the food trucks. This decision came after two other times when they said no to sending food to the north. This has many people concerned.
Gaza is in a terrible situation because of a war between Israel and Hamas, a group in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel, sparking the commencement of this war. The UN says that if nothing is done soon, there could be a famine in northern Gaza by May 2024.
Impact of Blockade of UNRWA Aid to Northern Gaza
Juliette Touma, who works for UNRWA, says they haven’t been able to take food to the north since January 29, 2024. She says this new decision is making it even harder to help people struggling because of the war.
The head of the UN office coordinating help, Martin Griffiths, says stopping the food trucks is making things worse. He says UNRWA is really important for helping people in Gaza, and this decision is making it harder for thousands of people to get food.
The World Health Organization also says that stopping the food trucks means people who need food won’t get it, and that’s dangerous.
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, claims that the situation in Gaza is unreal and must end. But Israel says UNRWA helped with the attack on October 7, 2023, and won’t let a UN team help injured people in a hospital in northern Gaza.
The attack on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,160 people, most of them were not fighters. The war since then has killed at least 32,226 people, many of whom were women and children.
The world is worried about what will happen next in Gaza. People hope something will be done soon to stop more bad things from happening there.
