The United Nations has announced plans to reduce its operations in Gaza, according to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General. He cited the deadly attacks by the Israeli military as the reason, including a recent one which killed a UN worker and wounded five others.
“It was a difficult decision,” Dujarric stated, while emphasizing that the UN will not completely withdraw from Gaza despite scaling back its presence.
Israel has denied responsibility for the attack on a UN facility in central Gaza that occurred last Wednesday, March 19th. However, the UN contradicts this claim, with Dujarric asserting:
“According to the information we have now, the attacks were carried out by an Israeli tank”.
Since early March, the Israeli military has been blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Aid organizations have warned about the deadly consequences, including a rapidly increasing risk of famine. According to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, flour supplies in the region will only last for a few more days.
Israel has shown no signs of lifting the aid blockade or reducing attacks in Gaza. Last Tuesday, the military conducted a large-scale bombing campaign that reportedly killed at least 400 Palestinians. According to Palestinian authorities under Hamas control, the death toll in the Gaza war which unfolded in October 2023, surpassed 50,000 as of last Sunday.
