Several UN agencies said on Tuesday that the two main crossings into Gaza Strip remain closed, effectively cutting off foreign aid to the strip which has very few shops.
The spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, said during a press conference in Geneva that Israel closed the Rafah and Karem Abu-Salem crossings as part of its military operation in the Palestinian Rafah, south of the Strip.
Laerke added: “We are not currently present at the Rafah crossing because the COGAT office (the office coordinating the actions of the Israeli government in the Palestinian territories) refused to allow us to reach this area, which is the main crossing point for humanitarian aid.”
“The two main crossings for bringing aid into the Gaza Strip are now closed, and the United Nations agencies have very few stocks inside Gaza Strip due to the ongoing consumption of humanitarian supplies,” he explained.
Laerke warned that preventing fuel from entering Gaza for too long would destroy the humanitarian relief operation in the strip.
Earlier, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk warned of suffering and destruction rising to unbearable levels following Israel’s orders for the Palestinians to evacuate parts of the Palestinian city of Rafah.
Hamas meanwhile announced on Monday that it has accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
