Israel’s ban on the import of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip is a collective punishment of the residents of the enclave, Philippe Lazarini, head of the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on Monday.
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“The (Israeli) ban on humanitarian aid is a collective punishment for Gaza: the vast majority of its population are children, women and ordinary men,” Lazarini wrote on the social network.
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The head of UNRWA stressed that Israel’s current ban on the import of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave has lasted much longer than previous ones, which threatens to kill civilians, especially young children who are unable to survive in conditions of cold and lack of food.
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“The people of Gaza depend on supplies (humanitarian aid) through Israel. Every day without humanitarian aid means that more and more children go to bed hungry, and diseases spread. Every day without food brings Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,” Lazarini added.
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Earlier in March, the Israel Defense Forces resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks continued due to the refusal of the Palestinian Hamas movement to accept the American plan to extend the ceasefire and release the hostages. Izzat ar-Rishk, a member of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war means a death sentence for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.
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Officially, the truce between Israel and Hamas ended on March 1, but the fighting did not resume due to attempts by the mediators to involve the parties in continuing negotiations on a settlement in Gaza.
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However, Israel stopped supplying electricity to the desalination plant in the sector and closed the entrance to the sector for trucks with humanitarian aid.
