UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced today (Sunday) that UNRWA is halting the delivery of aid into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the main crossing between Israel and Gaza, due to safety concerns.
"We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for humanitarian aid into #Gaza," Lazzarini wrote on X.
He stated that "the road out of this crossing has not been safe for months," citing a November 16 attack on an aid convoy in which the trucks carrying the aid were stolen by armed gangs.
This was not the last time aid was stolen as it entered Gaza. "Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken."
"This difficult decision comes at a time hunger is rapidly deepening. The delivery of humanitarian aid must never be dangerous or turn into an ordeal," he said.
Lazzarini claimed that "the responsibility of protection of aid workers + supplies is with the State of Israel as the occupying power," rather than with the looters, Hamas, or the UN. "They must ensure aid flows into Gaza safely & must refrain from attacks on humanitarian workers."