Israel hinders 85% of aid movements to northern Gaza, says UN

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN warned on Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza has reached catastrophic levels due to intensifying Israeli operations, which are "severely compromising people’s access to means of survival."

Across Gaza, "less than a third of a total 285 humanitarian movements coordinated with Israeli authorities during the first two weeks of this month were facilitated," Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, citing Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"Almost half were denied access, 17% were impeded, and the rest were canceled," he told reporters.

Dujarric said only one out of 54 coordinated movements was facilitated by Israeli authorities in northern Gaza, adding that "85% were denied, with the rest impeded or canceled due to security or logistical issues".

The spokesman further reported that "there is barely any food left to distribute," due to increasing forced displacement from North Gaza to Gaza governorate.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 42,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.