The focal point of the Israeli accusation against the UN is a collection of some 900 aid trucks that have already crossed into Gaza but which have been unable to distribute the aid. Yet Israel has actively prevented the UN from distributing aid. Tamara Alrifai, a spokesperson for UNRWA, told Drop Site that Israeli restrictions on the movement of the organization’s staff have made distribution impossible. “Claiming that the UN isn’t picking up food and other urgent supplies, and promoting images that these goods are just sitting near the crossing is disingenuous to say the least,” she said. “Since the collapse of the ceasefire, the government of Israel tightened its already stringent restrictions even more, giving even less permission to the UN to move around the Gaza Strip.… The rule is that a UN convoy moves after getting consent. We as the UN have not been getting sufficient permission to move.”
The UN is eager to deliver aid if Israel is serious, she said. “So the ask is: let us do our work, give us movement permits, fulfill your obligation under IHL to protect our passage, then tell us whether we are fulfilling our job,” said Alrifai. “It’s truly cynical to accuse the UN of not doing its work after weeks of seeking to bypass the UN via the GHF and in reality failing to deliver through that so-called ‘humanitarian foundation.’” …..more
