Israel continues to obstruct means of survival for Gazans: UN

UNITED NATIONS - Israeli military operations continue to dismantle the means of survival for 2.1 million Palestinians, 600 days since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, UN humanitarians said Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that dozens of people were reportedly shot and injured among the thousands rushing on Tuesday to gain access to a new aid distribution point near Rafah set up by the new US-sponsored and Israeli-approved Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

OCHA said the incident is one of the events demonstrating a collective punishment of Palestinians, an accelerating assault on their human dignity.

"The newly developed distribution scheme is more than just the control of aid," said Jonathan Whittall, OCHA's head of office for the occupied Palestinian territory, speaking in Jerusalem. "It is engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations."

He said the new distribution model could not possibly meet Gaza's needs since it falls short of minimum obligations under international law.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that since last week, about 900 truckloads of aid were submitted for Israeli approval, and 800 were green-lighted. But only 500 could be offloaded on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, and even fewer made it to the Palestinian side.

"We and our partners could collect just over 200 of them, limited by insecurity and restricted access," Dujarric said.

The spokesman said Israeli authorities also continue to deny attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza, including one to retrieve fuel from Rafah. Overall, all six coordinated movements were denied on Wednesday alone.

"They sure aren't making it easy for us," he said.

OCHA said aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into Gaza.

"We need unimpeded access to and from these crossings," the office said.

The humanitarians said their partners report people continue to be displaced amid ongoing hostilities and displacement orders issued by the Israeli authorities. Those on the move lack tents, tarpaulins, food and water, among other essential supplies.

OCHA said health partners reported that as of last week, only half of the hospitals in Gaza were partially functioning. Eight field hospitals, along with about 200 mobile clinics and health centers, have suspended their services across Gaza due to hostilities, attacks and displacement orders.

The office said that on Tuesday in Gaza City, an airstrike reportedly hit a community kitchen, killing one person and injuring another. Other kitchens still operating in Gaza continue to serve about 300,000 meals daily through more than a dozen partners, with whatever stocks remain.

OCHA said its education partners reported distributing 75 furniture sets to learning spaces. The furniture, which was recycled from wooden pallets, will help support children's access to education. Displacement orders have directly impacted hundreds of learning spaces, and about 90 percent of education facilities need major rehabilitation or reconstruction.