By Quds News Network
Gaza (Quds News Network)- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that 82 percent of humanitarian aid movements in Gaza were denied by the Israeli occupation between March 18 and March 24.
OCHA said on Wednesday that 40 out of 49 attempts by humanitarian organizations to coordinate their movements with Israeli occupation between 18 and 24 March faced access denied, adding “tasks as critical as picking up essential supplies or refueling bakeries are effectively blocked.”
Five out of seven such attempts were denied on Monday and six out of nine were rejected on Tuesday, OCHA explained.
It has now been three and a half weeks since Israel imposed a total blockade on all aid to Gaza, including food, fuel, and medicine, pushing the entire population to the brink of famine amid widespread condemnations and accusations of using starvation as a weapon of war.
The Israeli decision to ban the entry of humanitarian aid and any other supplies via all land crossings into Gaza is the longest such closure since October 2023, OCHA added, warning that gains made during the ceasefire to support survivors “have been reversed”.
Medical teams in Gaza are also exhausted “and urgently need protection and reinforcement” from ongoing Isareli strikes across the Strip, OCHA said on Wednesday.
It cited new reports of attacks against health workers, ambulances and hospitals and warned of “hundreds of casualties, a severe drop in medical stocks and a lack of equipment, blood units and personnel” since the ceasefire ended.
“No one is safe. The world must have zero tolerance for atrocities,” the UN agency insisted.
Nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in recent days following the resumption of Israeli bombardment on 18 March, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In just the last week, eight aid workers have been killed in Israeli attacks in the enclave, bringing the total killed in Gaza to 399. That number includes at least 289 UN personnel, OCHA said, with staffers from the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) killed last Wednesday in an apparent Israeli tank strike on a UN compound in Deir al-Balah that also seriously wounded six others.
WCK Volunteer Killed in Israeli Attack in Gaza
World Central Kitchen confirmed that one of its volunteers in Gaza was killed after an Israeli airstrike hit the area near one of its kitchens during meal distribution on Thursday.
“Our hearts are heavy today,” the organisation said, mourning the loss.
The attack also left six others wounded as Israel’s relentless bombardment continues to devastate humanitarian operations in the besieged territory.
“Jalal was tragically killed and six other people were injured,” WCK said.
“We will continue to support community kitchens throughout the region and operate our field kitchens where possible, based on daily assessments,” added the group, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. “We hope for peace for all and a lasting ceasefire.”
Andrés reposted the message, adding, “The people of Gaza must have a future free of Israeli attacks against civilians, humanitarians, children……just as the people of Israel deserve to live without fear of terror and attacks by Hamas…. Enough…Let’s build peace….lets free the hostages ,let’s restart a ceasefire and let free flow of the humanitarian aid again… and start hoping of a better tomorrow.”
This week’s strike came less than a year after an Israeli strike killed seven of WCK’s volunteers on April 1, 2024.
About a week ago, the UN confirmed that one of their international aid workers was killed by an “explosive ordnance” at the UN guesthouse in central Gaza, and five others were injured. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza blamed the attack on the Israeli military, which the military denied, claiming it had not conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of the guesthouse. However, a CNN investigation revealed Israel’s involvement in the attack, confirming that weapon fragments found at the scene match the M339, an Israeli tank projectile.
The situation for humanitarian workers in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Farhan Haq, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, confirmed that at least 280 UN employees have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s genocide started on October 7, 2023.
Since March 18, Israel has intensified airstrikes across Gaza, killing and injuring hundreds. Despite a ceasefire agreement brokered in January, Israeli forces have resumed attacks, further deepening the suffering of civilians.
28 March 2025
Source: countercurrents.org