NEW YORK CITY: The UN said on Monday it is reducing its presence in Gaza. It comes after Israeli authorities resumed military strikes in which hundreds of civilians have been killed, including UN personnel, and blocked all deliveries of humanitarian aid to the enclave.
Israel has prevented all aid from entering Gaza since the beginning of March, amid demands that Hamas agree to a US plan for a ceasefire extension. Aid agencies have confirmed that no trucks with humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza since then. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that border crossings have remained closed for cargo since March 2, sending prices of food and other essential goods soaring. It is the longest such total suspension of aid deliveries since the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023.
On Sunday, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that “every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis.” The UN has also reported that 90 per cent of Palestinian civilians in Gaza did not have sufficient access to water in recent weeks, with many going several days without even the ability even to wash their hands.
Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has taken “the difficult decision to reduce the organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar and our concern over the protection of civilians intensifies.”
The UN is not leaving Gaza, he added, and remains “committed to continuing to provide aid that civilians depend on for their survival and protection.”
The organization will reduce the number of international staff in the territory by about a third this week, with “maybe a bit more likely to come,” Dujarric said.
“It's a temporary measure,” he added, and he expressed hope that the workers will be able to return to Gaza “as soon as practicable.”
He continued: “There are about 100 international staff in Gaza currently. All of this is being done for security reasons and for operational reasons.”
The decision to reduce the number of staff comes just days after a strike on a UN compound in Deir Al-Balah on March 19 that claimed the life of a UN employee from Bulgaria, and left six others, from France, Moldova, North Macedonia, Palestine and the UK, with severe injuries, some of them life-altering.
“Based on the information currently available, the strikes (were) caused by an Israeli tank,” said Dujarric, and the location of the compound was well known to both sides in the war.
“I reiterate that all parties to the conflict are bound by international law to protect the absolute inviolability of UN premises. Without this, our colleagues face intolerable risks as they work to save the lives of civilians.”
Guterres strongly condemned the strikes on the UN compound and called for “a full, thorough and independent” investigation into the incident.
The UN also reiterated that all those involved in the conflict must comply fully with the rule of international law at all times, that the protection of civilians is paramount, and the denial of life-saving aid must come to an end.
Guterres also once again demanded that all hostages still held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza be released immediately and unconditionally, and that the ceasefire agreement be restored “to bring an end to the anguish.”
Dujarric said: “The denial of lifesaving aid must end.” He called on all states to use any and all leverage to help end the conflict and ensure respect for international law “by applying diplomatic and economic pressure and combating impunity.”
