“This is completely unacceptable and the latest in a series of unnecessary safety incidents that have cost the lives of World Food Programme‘s team in Gaza, said Cindy McCain, director of the UN agency, called on Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to take immediate action to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the attack, the WFP said.
“As the events of last night show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot continue“, added Mrs. McCain.
Coordination ‘doesn’t work’
A “clearly marked UN humanitarian vehicle – part of a convoy that was fully coordinated with the (Israeli Defense Forces) IDF – was Hit 10 times by IDF fire, including bullets aimed at the front windows“, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a briefing at UN headquarters on Wednesday.
“This is the latest incident that underlines that the coordination systems are not working,” he said, adding that “we will continue to work with the IDF to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.”
The UN spokesman reiterated that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. He said civilians must be protected and their essential needs, including food, water, shelter and health, must be met wherever they are in Gaza.
“This applies to people who have been ordered to evacuate, regardless of whether they are moving or not. Those who are leaving should be given sufficient time to do so, as well as a safe route and safe places,” he said.
Under fire after aid mission
The team returned from a mission to Kerem Shalom on Tuesday evening with two WFP armoured vehicles, escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo to the central area of Gaza.
“Despite the vehicle being clearly marked and having received multiple permissions from Israeli authorities to approach it, the vehicle was directly hit by gunfire while en route to an IDF checkpoint“, the WFP said.
Just a few metres from the checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza Bridge, WFP reported that the vehicle had at least ten bullet holes: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle.
A harsh reminder
While this is not the first security incident to occur during the 10-month war, the agency said it the first time a WFP vehicle was directly shot at near a checkpointdespite obtaining the necessary permissions, in accordance with the standard protocol.
“The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly shrinking humanitarian space in Gaza, where increasing violence is jeopardizing our ability to deliver life-saving assistance,” WFP said.
The already critical situation is being exacerbated by limited access and increased risks, which means less food is available to those who need it most, the UN Food Agency said.
© UNOCHA
The Kerem Shalom border crossing. (file)
Increasingly under fire
According to the WFP, humanitarian organizations are increasingly coming under fire and facing a multitude of challenges in delivering life-saving aid in Gaza.
The agency said frequent and ongoing evacuation orders continue to disrupt both families and food assistance efforts meant to support them.
Last week, WFP lost access to its third and last operational warehouse in central Gaza, while five WFP-run community kitchens had to be evacuated.
“This week, on Sunday 25 August, the evacuation orders affected WFP’s main operations centre in Deir Al-Balah, which forced our team to move for the third time since the war began“, the agency said, calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of humanitarian workers and fulfil their commitment to facilitate the delivery of essential and life-saving assistance.
