UNRWA says food distribution in Rafah suspended, citing insecurity | Israel War in Gaza News

The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah has been suspended due to a lack of supplies and insecurity in the densely populated city.

UNRWA said in a statement on like Kerem Shalom – crossings into Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in the besieged territory has worsened since Israel seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah land crossing with Egypt earlier this month.

The vital passage, which has served as a major artery for vital aid and an entry and exit point for aid workers, has been closed since May 7.

Food distributions in Rafah are currently suspended due to lack of supplies and insecurity.

Only 7 of UNRWA’s 24 health centers are operational. In the last ten days, they have not received any medical supplies due to the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossing closures/disruptions.

-UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 21, 2024

Al Jazeera’s Hind Al Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the disruption to the distribution would have “a catastrophic impact on Palestinians, not just in Rafah but… throughout the Gaza Strip.”

“We are talking about more than two weeks without anything entering the Gaza Strip,” she said, referring to the period since Israeli forces closed the Rafah crossing.

Top UN humanitarian official Edem Wosornu told the UN Security Council on Monday that there were insufficient supplies and fuel to provide any meaningful level of support to the people of Gaza.

“We are running out of words to describe what is happening in Gaza. We describe it as a catastrophe, a nightmare, like hell on earth. It’s all that and worse,” she said.

She said the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt has disrupted the delivery of at least 82,000 tonnes of supplies, while access to the Karem Abu Salem crossing from Israel has been limited due to “hostilities, challenging logistical conditions and complex coordination”.

In northern Gaza, where the UN warns that famine is imminent, Wosornu said the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing had been closed since May 9 and that the newly opened West Erez crossing “is now being used for large quantities of limited aid, but now areas in the vicinity of this crossing are also under Israeli evacuation orders.

US ‘very concerned’

Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 7 Palestinians in Rafah, according to Al Khoudary. Across the enclave, more than 80 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours alone, according to the territory’s health authorities.

Before Israel began its attack on Rafah, the city was home to 1.5 million people, most of whom had been forcibly displaced from other parts of Gaza. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have fled the city, according to the UN.

Israel has said it intends to expand operations in Rafah despite US warnings about the risk of mass casualties in the southern city.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s administration remains “very concerned” about a major Israeli operation in Rafah.

Despite saying it disagrees with a large-scale Rafah operation, the Biden administration has continued to provide military and diplomatic support to Israel.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also called on Israel to lift restrictions on aid to Gaza on Tuesday.

“At a time when the people of Gaza are facing hunger, we urge Israel to lift the blockade and allow aid to pass through. Without more aid flowing into Gaza, we will not be able to sustain our vital support to hospitals,” WHO’s Tedros said at a press conference in Geneva.

He said the closure affected six hospitals and nine primary health centers and caused 70 shelters to lose their medical facilities.

“Daily appointments have dropped by close to 40 percent and immunizations by 50 percent,” he said.

“Approximately 700 seriously ill patients who would otherwise have been evacuated for medical care elsewhere are trapped in a war zone.”

Gaza’s health system has collapsed since Israel began its offensive in the country, following the Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel.

Tedros also said that al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza has remained under siege since Sunday, with 148 hospital staff and 22 patients and their companions trapped inside. He said fighting near Kamal Adwan Hospital, also in northern Gaza, had compromised its ability to care for patients.

“These are the only two functional hospitals left in northern Gaza,” Tedros said. “It is imperative to ensure their ability to provide health services.”

On Tuesday morning, Israeli forces attacked the emergency department and the main gates of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Al Khoudary said. Patients and Palestinians who sought refuge there were being evacuated, she added.