UN rejects Israeli claims of safe aid routes into Gaza

Pars Today – The UN Deputy Spokesperson rejected Israel’s claims that the aid convoy routes into Gaza are safe, stating that aid workers still face delays that “put drivers, humanitarian workers, and civilians at risk.”

Farhan Haq said on Thursday (local time) that “lengthy delays persist because a single route has been designated for UN aid teams exiting Gaza via Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem], and Israeli ground forces have set up a temporary checkpoint along that route.”

Despite the roadblocks, Haq added that UN agencies are using every opportunity to “collect supplies from Israeli-controlled crossings and replenish aid platforms with new stock.”

On Wednesday, Haq also cited a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), telling reporters that Israel’s unilateral and tactical pauses in Gaza are insufficient to meet the enormous needs of the population and the scale of the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

MG