Humanitarian aid delivery blocked in Gaza: UN

Tel Aviv, Jan 4 (IANS) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that for the past three days, the world body and other partners have been unable to deliver urgently needed life-saving humanitarian aid north of Wadi Gaza -- the coastal wetland located along the central part of the besieged enclave.

Around half of the Hamas-controlled enclave lies north of Wadi Gaza.

In its latest situation update, the OCHA said the delivery of the humanitarian assistance was not possible "due to access delays and denials, as well as active conflict".

According to the UN body, the aid included medicines that would have provided vital support to more than 100,000 people for 30 days, as well as eight trucks of food for people who currently face catastrophic and life-threatening food insecurity.

"Humanitarian organisations are calling for urgent, safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to areas north of Wadi Gaza, which has been severed from the south for more than a month," the OCHA said in its update.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that in the past three days, 13 trucks carrying crucial medical supplies for surgeries and anaesthesia were delivered to Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

The medical aid is set to be delivered to Nasser Medical Complex, Al Aqsa, Al Awda, and European Gaza hospitals in southern Gaza, benefiting around 142,000 patients.

Also on Wednesday, 105 trucks with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip via Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.

Meanwhile, the risk of famine in Gaza is increasing daily amid intense conflict and restricted humanitarian access, the OCHA warned.

Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7, 2023, at least 22,313 Palestinians have been killed, with 57,296 injured persons and up to 7,000 others reportedly missing.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza estimates that about 70 per cent of the total fatalities are women and children.

By the end of 2023, 1.9 million people, or nearly 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza, were estimated to be internally displaced, according to the UN Refugee Agency.