Gaza operations being deliberately hampered, claims UN agency in Palestine

The director of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees stated on Thursday that he thought there was a purposeful attempt to “strangle” the agency’s humanitarian work in Gaza. He also issued a warning, stating that the agency might have to completely halt operations owing to a gasoline shortage.

Numerous of its services, including dozens of water wells, two water plants, and sewage pumping stations, have already been shut off, according to the organisation aiding more than 800,000 displaced Palestinians in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip.

“I do believe there is a deliberate attempt to strangle our operation and paralyse the operation,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the media in Geneva.

“We run the risk to have to suspend the entire humanitarian operation. I do believe that it is outrageous that humanitarian agencies have been reduced to begging for fuel.”

According to Lazzarini, the group had been pleading for weeks to have access to fuel, which was transported into Gaza on Wednesday for the first time since Israel’s conflict with Hamas began.

According to Lazzarini, the diesel fuel—24,000 litres, or 6,340 gallons—for the U.N. relief distribution trucks is well short of what Gazans require to survive.

“Because of the lack of fuel, we will not be able to send our trucks across the south of the Gaza Strip where we have people waiting for humanitarian deliveries,” he said, referring to the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the only one open for aid deliveries.

Israel rejects fuel shipments to Gaza on the grounds that Hamas would utilise it for armed action.

Without fuel, Lazzarini cautioned, civilian casualties unrelated to Israel’s military operation of retaliation against Hamas for its assault on October 7 will inevitably occur.

Paltel and Jawwal, the two largest telecom providers in Gaza, announced on Thursday that all services in the heavily populated territory had been cut off due to the exhaustion of all energy sources.

(With agency inputs)