UN Food Aid Delivery to Gaza Paused Due to Public Order Breakdown
The situation in Gaza has reached a critical point as the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to suspend plans to deliver food aid to the northern part of the territory due to a breakdown in public order. The WFP had intended to send 10 convoys of food aid into northern Gaza this week, but chaotic scenes over the weekend, including looting and violence, have made it impossible for the aid to be delivered.
Gaza, a territory of 2.4 million people, is on the brink of famine, according to the UN. Months of war have left the population in a state of acute hunger and desperation. Aid agencies have warned that there are likely to be “pockets of famine” in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are living in the ruins of their former homes with little functioning infrastructure.
The situation in Gaza has been further exacerbated by heavy fighting that has continued despite a UN security council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire being blocked by a US veto. The UN has predicted an “explosion” of child deaths as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Residents of Gaza City, where entire blocks have been reduced to rubble, are demanding a ceasefire and expressing their desperation. Ahmad, a resident of Gaza City, said, “We can’t take it any more. We do not have flour, we don’t even know where to go in this cold weather. We demand a ceasefire. We want to live.”
The UN has reported that out of 77 planned missions to deliver aid to the north of the Gaza Strip between January 1 and February 15, only 12 were facilitated by Israeli authorities. The majority were either impeded or denied access. This lack of access to aid has left Gaza hanging by a thread, with the WFP urgently needing support to prevent a famine.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a high death toll, with more Israeli strikes hitting targets in Gaza over the last 24 hours, killing 103 people. The aid group Doctors Without Borders reported that two people were killed when a shelter housing their staff was struck during an Israeli operation.
Israel has defended its actions, stating that it takes precautions to avoid civilian casualties and blaming Hamas for using civilians as “human shields.” However, aid groups have expressed concern that a ground offensive could turn the city of Rafah into a graveyard, as it is currently packed with crowded shelters and makeshift tents.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with the war now in its fifth month. The conflict was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October last year, resulting in a high number of casualties and hostages. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed and the remaining hostages are recovered.
Efforts to negotiate an end to the crisis have made limited progress, with Qatar and Egypt proposing a plan to free hostages in return for a pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, Israel and Hamas have so far failed to agree on a deal.
The war in Gaza has also had wider implications, setting off clashes in other parts of the Middle East. Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have become involved, and Israel has engaged in cross-border fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Additionally, US and British forces have targeted Yemen’s Houthi rebels to deter their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with the UN warning of an impending famine and an “explosion” of child deaths. The suspension of food aid delivery due to public order breakdown only adds to the desperation of the people living in Gaza. Urgent action is needed to prevent further suffering and loss of life in this war-torn territory.
