According to the latest media reports, thousands of displaced Palestinians were staying in the camp in Khan Younis, where at least 19 people have died.
‘Nowhere is safe in Gaza’
“While the IDF said it struck Hamas militants operating in a command and control center embedded in the humanitarian zone, I want to emphasize that International humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in attacks, must be upheld at all times“, said Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a statement.
He stressed that civilians should never be used as human shields.
“Once again, such actions only underline that nowhere in Gaza is safe,” he said.
End the war
The envoy reiterated his call to all parties to immediately reach an agreement leading to the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the killing of civilians must stop and the horrific war must end.
“Ultimately, only a political path that outlines tangible, irreversible steps towards ending the occupation and achieving a two-state solution can bring a lasting end to the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis,” he said, noting that the UN stands ready to support all efforts to achieve this goal.
Polio convoy stopped
Meanwhile, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, UNRWAreported that the Israeli military on Monday stopped a convoy heading to northern Gaza to vaccinate children against polio. The convoy was held up for more than eight hours, despite detailed prior coordination.
UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a three-pronged campaign this month to protect more than 600,000 young children in the enclave from polio after the disease was detected in sewage samples in June.
The UN convoy carried national and international staff travelling to roll out the campaign in Gaza City and northern Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a message on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Staff threatened, vehicles damaged
The convoy was stopped at gunpoint just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to arrest UN personnel. Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armored vehicles.
Mr Lazzarini noted that while all personnel and the convoy had been released and safely returned to base, he was not sure whether the polio campaign would be able to take place in northern Gaza on Tuesday.
“This significant incident is the latest in a series of human rights violations against UN personnel, including shootings at convoys and arrests by Israeli forces at checkpoints despite prior notice,” he said.
“UN personnel must be able to carry out their duties in safety and be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Gaza is no exception.”
Vaccinations are underway
In a tweet Later on Tuesday, UNRWA sent an update that despite the convoy’s delay, “our teams were able to vaccinate thousands of children in northern Gaza today.”
“This is a race against time,” the agency added. “The spread of polio is a very real threat. Our colleagues continue to do the impossible to reach every child under 10 in the Gaza Strip.”
One convoy, two missions
The delayed convoy consisted of two missions, the UN health agency WHO reported in Geneva on Tuesday.
One team brought fuel and vehicles for the third phase of the vaccination campaign, while another team attempted to bring much-needed fuel to the besieged Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The enclave’s largest medical center reopened its emergency room in early September after it was destroyed in an Israeli raid in November 2023. The attack came after allegations that Palestinian armed groups were using the site for military purposes.
‘Not an isolated incident’
“This is not an isolated incident,” said WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević, who lamented the absence of a “functioning deconfliction mechanism” 11 months after the start of the war in Gaza.
Between September 7 and 10, WHO teams attempted to reach Al-Shifa Hospital four times, but were unsuccessful.
“But we’re going to try again today,” he said. “We’re really trying, but this is a pattern: in August, the number of denied access requests doubled compared to previous months.”
