UN Suspends Staff Movement In Gaza After Vehicles Bombarded With 10 Bullets Near Israeli Post

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) World Food Program suspended the movement of its employees temporarily in the Gaza Strip, Palestine on Wednesday, after one of the operational vehicles with clear identity markers was bombarded with 10 bullets as it approached the Israeli military checkpoint.

The WFP said in a statement that a convoy of two armored vehicles received "several permits from Israeli authorities to approach" the Wadi Gaza bridge checkpoint on Tuesday night. The bullet hit one of the vehicles, but no one in it was injured.

"While this is not the first security incident to occur during a war, it is the first time a WFP vehicle has been shot directly near a checkpoint, despite obtaining the necessary clearance," the WFP said.

It said the vehicle was "several meters" from Israel's checkpoint when it was hit.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday the incident was being reviewed.

"The Israeli state is committed to improving coordination and security with humanitarian organizations to ensure effective aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip," the military said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs Coordination on Wednesday said aid operations in Gaza were "deeply limited by hostilities, insecurity, and mass evacuation orders affecting aid transport routes and facilities."

Previously, incidents of attacks on aid and humanitarian organizations have also occurred since the latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023.

In April, three Israeli airstrikes hit a convoy of humanitarian aid vehicles crossing Gaza, killing seven World Central Kitchen staff.

It is known that the United Nations has long complained about obstacles in the distribution and distribution of aid during the war as well as in the midst of "total law violations" in the Palestinian enclave.