As Israel approves aid fuel for Gaza, UN says starvation imminent
- There is no sign of a let-up in Israel’s retaliatory war on Hamas militants in Gaza, despite international calls for a ceasefire or humanitarian pauses
- ‘With winter approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters, and the lack of clean water, civilians are facing the immediate possibility of starvation’
UN aid deliveries to Gaza were suspended again on Friday due to shortages of fuel and a communications shutdown, deepening the misery of thousands of hungry and homeless Palestinians as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the enclave.
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said civilians faced the “immediate possibility of starvation” due to the lack of food supplies.
For a second consecutive day on Thursday, no aid trucks arrived due to a lack of fuel for distributing relief.
Israel said later Friday that it had approved two fuel trucks a day to help meet UN needs following a US request. The trucks would be let in for the UN to use in supporting water and sewage infrastructure, Israeli officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
Israel has barred entry to fuel since the start of the war, saying it would be diverted by Hamas for military means. It has also barred food, water and other supplies except for a trickle of aid from Egypt via its Rafah crossing that aid workers say falls far short of what is needed.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said a number of Palestinians were killed and others injured in an Israeli strike that hit a group of displaced people near the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the transit point for aid.