Gaza: UN agencies calls for aid ‘surge’ as Israeli distribution plan begins

Gaza: UN agencies calls for aid ‘surge’ as Israeli distribution plan begins

After nearly three months of complete blockade by Israel, a “vastly insufficient” amount of aid was finally allowed into the war-ravaged enclave in the last week, insisted Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “We have not stopped operating,” he said, referring to staff still inside Gaza, who are tasked with liaising […]

Guterres calls on Israel to accept UN’s ‘detailed, principled’ aid plan for Gaza

Guterres calls on Israel to accept UN’s ‘detailed, principled’ aid plan for Gaza

Addressing reporters outside the Security Council, António Guterres called once again for a permanent ceasefire to end the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and full humanitarian access so aid can flow in following nearly 80 days of Israeli blockade. ‘Cruellest phase’ He said Palestinians in […]

Gaza: UN agencies reject Israeli plan to use aid as ‘bait’

Gaza: UN agencies reject Israeli plan to use aid as ‘bait’

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder insisted that the Israeli proposal to create a handful of aid hubs exclusively in the south of the Strip would create an “impossible choice between displacement and death”. The plan “contravenes basic humanitarian principles” and appears designed to “reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic”, he […]