According to news reports, it is believed that six Palestinians lost their lives and 83 were injured in the Gaza City event while waiting for aid vehicles at Kuwait Roundabout.

The recent event occurred following the denouncement from relief supervisor Martin Griffiths regarding the attack that took place on Wednesday on a warehouse and food distribution center in southern Rafah. The attack resulted in the death of at least one employee from the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and caused injuries to 22 others.

“Our thoughts are with our colleagues in Gaza who have already suffered great losses, as well as the families they were assisting,” stated the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in a post on X. “It is difficult to continue providing aid when our team and resources are continuously at risk. They must be kept safe. This conflict must end.”

Warehouse attack

Following the attack, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini released a statement indicating that the warehouse struck by the Israeli attack was situated in eastern Rafah and served as one of the agency’s few remaining distribution centers.

“Food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine”, Mr. Lazzarini said, before insisting that the coordinates of the facility had been shared with all parties to the war.

Photographs taken inside the warehouse revealed a container of resources stained with blood near the entrance of the building. However, according to UNRWA, the supplies inside remained relatively undamaged and were still being distributed.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warns that the proposal to create “humanitarian islands” would have disastrous consequences.

The United Nations organization also expressed concerns about alleged proposals by Israel to relocate 1.4 million Palestinians from Gaza’s southern city to either camps or “humanitarian islands” in the northern part of the country, which they described as catastrophic.

The suggestion is being made in light of ongoing concerns from the global community regarding a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah. This concern comes after five months of heavy bombing as a response to terrorist attacks organized by Hamas, causing approximately 1,200 fatalities in Israel and over 250 people being held captive.

“Where are you going to evacuate people to, as no place is safe across the Gaza Strip, the north is shattered, riddled with unexploded weapons, it’s pretty much unliveable,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications. “Enough is enough. Any further escalation would be absolutely apocalyptic.”

UNRWA reports that a minimum of 165 of its staff members have lost their lives while performing their duties in Gaza since October 7th. Over 150 facilities, including multiple schools, have been affected by attacks.

Maritime aid plan

A non-governmental organization (NGO) vessel stayed docked along the coast of Gaza on Thursday, following a departure from southern Cyprus on Tuesday to navigate a new sea route for humanitarian purposes.

The project is a collaboration between the United Nations-aligned organization World Central Kitchen and the search-and-rescue nonprofit Open Arms. This effort is allegedly being coordinated with Israeli officials and the global community to provide 200 tons of aid to northern Gaza after constructing a dock south of Gaza City.

A different strategy involving the United States military includes sending two million meals daily to the enclave via a temporary floating structure that has not yet been constructed.

Despite the positive reception of added maritime and airborne aid routes, UN relief agencies have continuously stressed that they cannot replace the importance of land transportation for supplies.

Famine threat

The UN has cautioned that Gaza is on the brink of famine, primarily in the northern area where aid supply has been inconsistent due to ongoing violence, refusal of access, and a breakdown of law and order.

According to the IDF, on Tuesday, a convoy of six trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) successfully entered northern Gaza by going through a gate in the security fence that divides the enclave from Israel.

The Israeli Defense Forces stated that the convoy’s shipment was inspected at Kerem Shalom crossing to the south before being granted permission to continue north. They also reported that foreign countries have dropped over 1,000 emergency packages into Gaza within the last week.

Source: news.un.org