UN World Food Programme halts Gaza staff movements

The UN food agency has said it is pausing the movement of its staff in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after its team came under fire near an Israeli checkpoint.

In a statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) said the incident happened at the Wadi Gaza bridge on Tuesday evening as two of its armoured vehicles were escorting a convoy of lorries with humanitarian aid.

The WFP said that while nobody was injured, one vehicle was directly hit, despite the convoy being clearly marked and “receiving multiple clearances by Israel”.

The BBC has approached the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the issue.

In Wednesday’s statement, the WFP said: “The team was returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.

It said one of the WFP vehicles was then “directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards” an IDF checkpoint.

“It sustained at least 10 bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle. None of the employees on board were physically harmed.”

The WFP added that although this was not the first security incident during the war, it was the first time its vehicle had been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances.

“The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where increasing violence compromises our ability to deliver life-saving assistance,” the agency said.

Executive director Cindy McCain described the incident as “totally unacceptable”.

“I call on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to act immediately to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza,” she added.

Earlier, the UN said its humanitarian aid operation in the Gaza Strip was continuing, after a senior official said it had ground to a halt on Monday due to Israeli military evacuation orders.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday evening that conditions “made it extremely, extremely difficult for us to do our work”, but that “we are doing what we can with what we have”.

On Sunday, UN staff had to relocate quickly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order covering a part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone around the central town of Deir al-Balah, where the UN had its main operations centre.

The military said it had acted to protect civilians while operating against Hamas “terror operatives” in the area.

It also said that it was working with the UN and other international organisations to find alternative locations for them to continue their activities.

Up to 88.5% of Gaza has been placed under evacuation orders since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the UN, which is the primary provider and distributor of humanitarian aid in the territory.

That has forced an estimated 1.8 million people to shelter inside the humanitarian zone, which currently spans only about 41 sq km (15.8 sq miles) and lacks critical infrastructure and basic services.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 40,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

On Tuesday evening, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud said the IDF had given more than 200 UN personnel a few hours’ notice on Sunday to move out of their offices and living places in a southern area of Deir al-Balah.

The UN’s humanitarian office said the order affected 15 UN and NGO premises, as well as four UN warehouses, a water desalination plant and al-Aqsa hospital, the town’s main medical facility.

“The timing could hardly be worse, with the start of a massive polio vaccination campaign scheduled for next week, for which large numbers of staff will need to enter the strip,” Mr Michaud said.

The UN is planning to vaccinate 640,000 children after a 10-month-old baby who contracted the water-borne disease was left partially paralysed – the first registered case in Gaza in 25 years.

It has appealed to the warring parties to implement two seven-day humanitarian pauses in order to allow the vaccinations to be carried out successfully.

The IDF said in a statement on Wednesday that it had been forced to issue evacuation orders in and around Deir al-Balah to carry out “essential operations” against Hamas “terror operatives” and their infrastructure.

It also stressed that it was operating “in full co-ordination with the international community to preserve the activity of the international community’s vital centres, including shelters, aid depots and residences”.

“However, in light of the cynical exploitation carried out by Hamas and other terrorist organisations, there is sometimes a need to evacuate these centres.”

The IDF said it would take action to help find alternative locations for UN agencies and NGOs to continue their activities and to provide alternative aid routes.

Also in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday, local medics said at least eight Palestinians had been killed in an air strike near a school housing displaced people in the town.

Another 11 people were reportedly killed in strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli tanks were said to have advanced into the city centre.