Israel Blocks Humanitarian Missions to Northern Gaza, UN Agency Reports
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees has accused Israel of continuing to block crucial humanitarian aid from reaching northern Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, reported that supplies such as food and medicine are still not being allowed through, leaving hospitals without power and injured civilians without proper care.
“Hospitals are being struck, and people are dying without receiving any medical attention,” Lazzarini wrote on X. He also noted that the shelters UNRWA manages are so overcrowded that displaced residents are resorting to living in bathrooms. He shared reports of people being killed while attempting to flee the area.
The Israeli military has been intensifying its offensive in northern Gaza, claiming it is targeting Hamas fighters regrouping in the region. Civilians, including residents and medics, have reported that hospitals and displacement shelters are under siege.
The Israeli military has stated that it is working to ensure civilians can evacuate safely and that hospitals remain operational, while it continues what it calls anti-terrorist operations. However, reports from the ground paint a grim picture.
Medical personnel at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza told Reuters that Israeli forces raided a school, detained men, and set the building on fire. Palestinian media also reported that Israeli artillery struck a refugee camp in Jabalia, killing at least 10 people, including displaced individuals sheltering at a school.
Independent verification of these reports remains challenging, as Israel has restricted international media from entering Gaza. Much of the information comes from videos and testimonies shared online. One video, posted by Gaza’s Civil Defense agency and local journalists, showed graphic images of bodies lying in a tented camp, including a child and a woman.
In one video, paramedic Nabila was seen rushing between the wounded, trying to help a severely injured woman while shouting, “I don’t have anything to stop the bleeding!” In another scene, she finds a woman cradling a baby, saying, “My children are gone, look at them.”
The Israeli military is reportedly investigating these claims.
Israel’s body responsible for managing Gaza crossings, Cogat, stated that 41 aid trucks and six fuel tankers had been allowed into northern Gaza recently. UNICEF had also delivered polio vaccines. However, the UN said no aid was allowed into northern Gaza during the first two weeks of the Israeli military’s offensive in Jabalia. A trickle of aid has been permitted recently after the U.S. pressured Israel to increase humanitarian access.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been denied access to Jabalia’s Falouja area for several days. They also shared a video of a Jabalia resident describing his ordeal, explaining how he was one of 32 people buried beneath rubble after an airstrike. “Fourteen people, including children, remain trapped under the debris,” said Shamekh al-Dibes.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) echoed concerns about the dire situation in northern Gaza. With around 400,000 residents still trapped, the ICRC described the humanitarian crisis as “unimaginable.” Stephanie Eller, an ICRC representative, said that while some civilians are desperate to escape, others, including the elderly and disabled, are unable to move.
“People are in need of food, water, medical care, and, most importantly, a break from the constant fighting,” Eller said in a video.
Meanwhile, the chief nurse at the Indonesian hospital, Hadeel Obeid, described a desperate situation, with no water or food available for days. She added that the hospital requires Israeli military permission to operate its generator.
Israel’s ongoing military campaign follows Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed, and 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, Gaza’s health ministry, operated by Hamas, has reported over 42,000 deaths in the territory.
