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UN says Gaza aid deliveries blocked as needs surge; calls for ceasefire and unimpeded access
Summary
At the U.N. noon briefing, the spokesperson warned that humanitarian supplies to Gaza are critically low, that coordinated aid movements have largely been denied and urged immediate restoration of a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Stephanie Tremblay, the U.N. noon briefing moderator and spokesperson, told reporters that humanitarian needs across the Gaza Strip are acute and that access is increasingly restricted. She said that since March 18 about half a million people have been newly displaced and that aid supplies — including tents, medicines and food — are running dangerously low.
"It is essential for us to keep pushing for the restoration of the ceasefire, for the unconditional release of all hostages and we call of course once again for unimpeded humanitarian access throughout the Gaza Strip," Tremblay said.
Tremblay said humanitarian partners report that tents are no longer available for distribution in Gaza, and that community kitchens prepare more than 1,000,000 meals a day but that this remains insufficient for the estimated 2,100,000 people who rely on aid. She said that only two of six planned humanitarian movements coordinated with Israeli authorities were facilitated on the day in question; four were denied, including a mission to retrieve fuel from Rafah.
In response to a question quoting an Israeli official who said the blockade was being used to pressure Hamas, a reporter asked whether Israel was “weaponizing” humanitarian aid. Tremblay reiterated the U.N. position that humanitarian operations must follow humanitarian principles and again called for a ceasefire and unimpeded access.
When asked about funding for UNRWA, Tremblay said she did not have precise numbers at the briefing and that contributions continue to come in from various sources; she offered to provide more detailed figures later.
