GAZA: The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Sunday said that Israeli authorities had stopped him from entering Gaza for a second time since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.
“Just this week, they have denied — for the second time — my entry to Gaza where I planned to be with our UNRWA colleagues including those on the front lines,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Lazzarini has visited Gaza four times since the war started.
He said that Israeli authorities continue to refuse humanitarian access to the United Nations.
He said the aid agency in the past two weeks, has recorded ten incidents involving shooting at aid convoys, arrests of UN staff, stripping them naked, threats with weapons, and long delays at checkpoints compelling convoys to move during night or abort the operation.
He also called for an independent inquiry into rocket fire that led to the closure of a major Israel-Gaza aid crossing point.
#Gaza: The Israeli Authorities continue to deny humanitarian access to the United Nations.
Just this week, they have denied – for the second time- my entry to Gaza where I planned to be with our @UNRWA teams including those on the front lines.
The past while recorded an…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) May 5, 2024
Hamas’s armed wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack, saying the group had targeted Israeli troops in the area of Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israeli army claims to target Hamas command and control centre
Later the Israeli army claimed to target a Hamas command and control centre in central Gaza.
The army in a statement said that Hamas intentionally positioned the command and control position near an active UNRWA location.
It said the centre was used as a staging ground for multiple attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza’s central corridor in recent days.
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Earlier Israel accused several of its 30,000 employees of UNRWA of being involved in the shocking cross-border Hamas attack on October 7. However, Israel failed to provide any evidence to prove its allegations.
UNRWA is the biggest t aid organization in Gaza, employing around 13,000 staff in the Palestinian territory where Israel’s relentless bombardment has killed at least 34,683 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
