UNRWA Officials Call Humanitarian Responses In Gaza Difficult To Do Due To Israel's Restrictions

The UN humanitarian aid convoy has entered northern Gaza. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The United Nations Agency for Assistance and Work for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Monday said Israel's strict restrictions on the arrival of aid to the Gaza Strip made the provision of humanitarian responses very difficult, otherwise impossible.

This was conveyed by UNRWA spokesman Louise Wateridge in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) regarding restrictions on the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and uploaded to her X account.

Wateridge explained that the restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on the arrival of aid to Gaza made the provision of humanitarian responses "very difficult, otherwise not impossible."

"We need predictable access to be able to send life-saving aid to Gaza," he stressed, launching WAFA July 1.

Drawing the suffering of the aid team in Gaza, Wateridge said, "We are struggling to get approval from the Israeli authorities to come in and send aid, with the aim of ensuring the safety of our team and the safety of aid at the same time," he said.

"We have doctors and nurses working in Gaza, but what are the benefits of their presence when drugs are not available due to Israel's strict restrictions?" he said.

It is known that the latest Hamas-Israeli conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, causing 1,200 people to be killed and 250 people held hostage, according to Israeli calculations, quoted by Reuters.

Separately, Gaza's health authorities confirmed on Monday that the number of Palestinians as a result of the Israeli attacks since October 7 had increased to 37,900 people, while 87,060 people were injured. The majority of victims were women and children.