Via Robert Greenall, BBC news
The United Nations children’s agency Unicef told the BBC that a convoy carrying aid had been refused entry into northern Gaza, despite having all the necessary documents, adding that this was the case. frequent.
Unicef spokesman James Elder, who was riding in a truck in the convoy, also said that while waiting at the checkpoint, he witnessed the shooting of two Gazan fishermen.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces said documentation about the Unicef vehicle in the convoy had not been filled out correctly and accused Mr Elder of presenting “a partial picture”.
Mr Elder said residents had told him they would be “happy if there was an air strike” on their homes to end their suffering.
beautiful imagesIn an interview with the BBC’s Today programme, Mr Elder said: “They are so desperate, they are so miserable, they have lost so many family members, they have nothing left.”
He said the areas in Gaza that were denied aid were suffering from severe malnutrition unprecedented in Gaza.
He added that doctors in Gaza have need to be trained to handle the most serious cases because they have never encountered them before.
His comments came after World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that a significant proportion of Gaza’s population is facing “catastrophic famine and famine-like conditions”. hungry”.
Dr. Tedros added that more than 8,000 children under 5 years old have been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition, of which more than 1,500 are in more severe forms.
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 37,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands more injured or displaced in Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.
Mr. Elder described how on Wednesday he was traveling in a Unicef truck in an aid convoy trying to travel from southern to northern Gaza.
He said that despite having all the necessary paperwork, it took them 13 hours to travel about 40 kilometers (30 miles).
After eight hours at checkpoints, he said, they were finally denied entry, “so 10,000 children who would have benefited from nutritional supplies and medical supplies did not receive them”.
Mr Elder said he did not know why the convoy was denied entry, but said such refusals were “consistent and relentless” and there were hundreds of examples.
The IDF said in a statement that the problem arose because Unicef used a truck with a rear-closed cabin that required prior coordination with authorities, adding that Hamas regularly exploits sealed cabins to smuggle weapons and terrorists into northern Gaza.
Unicef initially claimed the truck did not have a closed cab but this claim turned out to be false.
“After the incident was clarified, [Unicef] was advised to continue moving north without the said truck or to provide appropriate coordination the next day,” the IDF added.
“As long as the coordination process is conducted properly, travel will be permitted,” the statement continued.
Mr. Elder also said that while waiting at the checkpoint, he saw about eight fishermen trying to catch fish with a net.
“Suddenly we heard tanks coming down, we heard… automatic gunfire,” he said.
“We saw two men on the beach, two fishermen running away, one shot in the back, one in the neck.”
A Unicef spokesman said the WHO, which had medical personnel in the convoy, requested that the IDF be allowed to provide medical assistance to the men, but that assistance was refused.
He said he was later able to see the fishermen’s injuries when their colleagues were allowed to retrieve the bodies.
The IDF said it was looking into what it described as “the incident on the beach that was mentioned in the interview”.
Mr Elder, who last visited Gaza six weeks ago, said things were much worse now.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a real level of depression,” he said.
“It is disturbing to see a child whose parents cannot protect them, it is heartbreaking when parents cannot protect their children. More and more I hear people saying I just want this to end, I’d be happy if there was a solution.” air strike on me tonight.”
