The UN stated on Tuesday that Israeli forces are “systematically” preventing entry to Gaza for those in need, making it more difficult to provide help in what has turned into a lawless conflict zone.
Medical evacuations and assistance delivery have become almost impossible in the northern part of Gaza and more challenging in the southern part, according to Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN organization OCHA.
The World Health Organization reports that Israeli authorities have blocked all planned relief convoys entering the north in recent weeks, with the last one being permitted entry on January 23.
Making matters worse, even convoys cleared in advance with Israeli authorities have repeatedly been blocked or come under fire.
Laerke brought up an event from last Sunday in which paramedics were imprisoned and a convoy led by the Palestinian Red Crescent (PCRS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to transfer patients from the besieged Al Amal hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis was stopped for hours.
About 1,160 persons in Israel lost their lives as a result of the Hamas strike that started the conflict, the majority of them were civilians, according to an AFP count based on government data.
About 250 Israeli and foreign hostages were also taken by militants; 130 of them are still in Gaza, including 31 who are thought to be dead, according to Israel.
According to the health ministry of the Hamas-ruled area, Israel’s military operation has killed at least 29,878 persons in Gaza, the majority of them being women and children.
