NEW YORK: The United Nations Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that the United Nations relief workers and their partners working in Gaza are providing food assistance to newly displaced people. This is in the wake of the displacement last week of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the areas of Gaza in the north and from southern Al Mawasi in Rafah in the south.

In a press statement on Monday, Dujarric said, “Unfortunately, there [are] little to no shelter materials or other critical supplies available to support these newly displaced people.

He added that it is nearly impossible to collect humanitarian aid from the Karem Abu Salem crossing and distribute it inside Gaza. This is due to the lack of public order and safety, ongoing hostilities, damaged roads, fuel shortages, and access restrictions.

The Spokesman stated that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that during June, Israeli authorities facilitated less than half of the 115 planned humanitarian assistance miss
ions to northern Gaza. More than a third were impeded, nearly 10 percent were denied access, and about 9 percent were cancelled due to logistical, operational or security reasons.

“Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the unexploded ordnance continues to pose a significant risk to the lives of people across Gaza, that includes internally displaced people and people trying to return to areas from whence they came. Children are particularly at risk,” he warned.

Source: Emirates News Agency