“The convoy was stopped at gunpoint just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff.” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Chief
A UN convoy was stopped at gunpoint by Israeli forces in Gaza on Monday and held for more than eight hours, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said.
The incident occurred “despite prior detailed coordination,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner General said on X, adding that the convoy “had both national & international staff traveling to roll out the polio vaccination campaign” for children in Gaza City and northern Gaza.
“The convoy was stopped at gunpoint just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff,” he stated.
In addition, “heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armored vehicles.”
The Israeli Army stopped a UN convoy on its way to northern #Gaza for more than eight hours today (Monday) despite prior detailed coordination.
The convoy had both national & international staff traveling to roll out the #polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza city and…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) September 9, 2024
“This significant incident is the latest in a series of violations against UN staff including shootings at convoys & arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at checkpoints despite prior notification,” Lazzarini stressed.
He emphasized that UN staff “must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety + be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
“Gaza is no different,” the UNRWA chief stated.
‘Blatant Disregard’
He said all staff and the convoy have since been released, but added that he was unable to confirm whether the polio campaign would take place on Tuesday in northern Gaza.
In July, at a UNRWA pledging conference, Lazzarini said that in more than 30 years of humanitarian work, he has “never encountered such blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, facilities and operations under international law.”
‘Blatant Disregard’ – UNRWA Attacked for Safeguarding Palestinian Refugees’ Rights
According to UNRWA’s latest Situation Report, 213 of its workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and 190 UNRWA installations damaged.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
‘Brutal Act of Genocide’ – Scores Killed, Injured in Israeli Strikes on Mawasi Tent Camp
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,020 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 94,925 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Forceful Displacement
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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