Crossing closures and supply curbs cut humanitarian assistance in June as concerns grow over civilian casualties in Gaza and the West Bank….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Israeli restrictions and the continued closure of key border crossings significantly reduced the volume of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in June, the United Nations said, warning that relief efforts remain severely constrained despite overwhelming humanitarian needs.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said all cargo crossings into Gaza, except the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, remain closed, limiting the amount of aid that humanitarian agencies and the private sector can deliver. The office also noted that restrictions on certain categories of essential supplies continue to hamper relief operations.
Despite ongoing efforts to collect food and fuel through the only operational crossing over the weekend, aid deliveries fell sharply last month.
According to OCHA, the total volume of supplies entering Gaza in June was more than 4,600 pallets lower than the 46,600 pallets delivered in May.
The agency said logistical challenges persisted even for pre-approved consignments. Last week, only 42 per cent of approved aid shipments from Egypt and 65 per cent of approved supplies arriving through Ashdod Port were successfully offloaded at Kerem Shalom.
The UN also expressed concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied West Bank, particularly the impact on children.
OCHA reported that Israeli forces shot dead a 16-year-old boy in the Qalandiya refugee camp near Jerusalem on Sunday, while two other children sustained gunshot injuries to their lower limbs during the same incident.
In another case highlighted by the UN Human Rights Office, a four-month-old infant died in the Ramallah governorate after Israeli forces allegedly refused to open a gate blocking the main entrance to the child’s village, preventing an ambulance waiting on the other side from reaching the baby in time.
The UN has repeatedly called for safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that continued restrictions are worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
