Israel denies humanitarian aid to Gaza: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on Monday that the Israeli authorities are preventing humanitarian missions from accessing the northern Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua.

"The Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian missions access to the north, blocking critical supplies including medicine and food for people under siege," Lazzarini said on social media platform X.

Noting that the bombing of hospitals has left them without electricity while the injured remain without care, he said that UNRWA shelters are so overcrowded that some displaced persons are now forced to live in restrooms.

He emphasized the necessity for humanitarian agencies, including UNRWA, to access northern Gaza, considering the refusal of humanitarian aid and its use as a weapon for military purposes a sign of a severely diminished moral compass.

Assistance must reach all those in need in Gaza, including civilians, children, and hostages, he added, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The Israeli army is currently engaged in a ground operation in the Jabalia camp, one of the largest Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. The operation has now entered its 17th consecutive day.