Israel Allows, UN Immediately Brings Armored Vehicles For Gaza's Humanitarian Assistance Operations

PHOTO: United Nations/Gaza Condition

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) will bring in more armored vehicles and personal protective equipment for humanitarian aid operations in the Gaza Strip after obtaining approval from Israeli authorities.

The approval was in response to a UN letter sent to Israel last month regarding safety and security in Gaza, said Scott Anderson, deputy humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian Population Territories, as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants of Hamas entered its tenth month.

The United Nations has long complained of obstacles in distributing aid to Gaza including difficulties in distributing aid amid "total law violations" in the area of 2.3 million people.

Anderson said the United Nations would begin sending more armored vehicles and protective equipment to Gaza on Tuesday, July 16.

Several communications equipment have also been approved, he said.

But discussions are still ongoing over UN requests for stable internet access.

The United Nations says it wants communications that do not depend on cell phone towers because they cannot be relied on.

However, Israeli authorities have security concerns about what Hamas could do if they accessed satellite internet services.