UN refugee agency launches 'high-risk' mission to deliver life-saving aid to northern Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said it delivered life-saving aid to Palestinians in a “high-risk” mission in the northern Gaza Strip amid a tight Israeli blockade.

In a statement, UNRWA said the aid mission was jointly carried out with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the northern city of Jabalia.

The aid mission was the first to have been announced by the UN refugee agency since it was denied entry by Israel to northern Gaza.

“UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian effort, bringing life-saving assistance to people across the Gaza Strip,” the UN agency said.

On March 24, the Israeli authorities informed the UN it would no longer approve the passage of any UNRWA food convoys into northern Gaza.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,200 Palestinians have since been killed and 77,200 others injured amid a tight siege imposed by Israel, which left the entire population, especially residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

In March, the UN warned of “imminent famine” in Gaza and appealed for swift action to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the territory.

UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land.

The agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other areas where large numbers of registered Palestinians reside.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.