Lack of food supplies and other humanitarian aid has forced the United Nations to suspend food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Palestinians in Gaza have not received aid for more than two days from a U.S.-built jetty that appears to have been functioning to deliver supplies to Gaza via sea. The United Nations also warned that the $320 million project could go to waste unless Israel begins to create conditions for humanitarian groups to operate safely in the region.
The suspension of food distribution in Rafah was announced by UNRWA on Tuesday. The aid agency said that due to ongoing military operations in eastern Rafah, the UNRWA distribution centre and the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse are currently inaccessible, and food distribution in Rafah has now been halted due to supply shortages and deteriorating security conditions.
But the WFP continues to provide hot meals and is carrying out a “limited distribution” of food parcels in central Gaza, and has warned that its stocks of parcels will run out within days.
The kitchen truck has not arrived at the warehouse.
Last week, the Gaza Strip received its first aid shipments through a temporary pier designed to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.
The pier project is expected to cost $320 million and will help starving Palestinians at a time when Israeli border crossing restrictions and heavy fighting have prevented food and other supplies from entering Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden placed the order more than two months ago to help.
After a few days of functioning normally, the plan stalled when desperate Palestinians blocked food trucks carrying supplies from the pier before they could reach the WFP warehouse.
WFP spokesperson Shaza Mograbi said the last day a truck could safely reach the warehouse was May 18.
“Crowds stopped the trucks at various points along the way. There was what you might call self-distribution. These trucks were driving through areas where there was no aid. People feared they would not get aid. I think they were afraid. They grabbed what they could,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
What will the United Nations do now?
The UN is currently evaluating alternative routes, logistics and security measures within the Gaza Strip to ensure the safe delivery of aid.
WFP is working with the United States Agency for International Development to coordinate the delivery of food supplies through new routes in the United States.
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