World Food Programme says its convoy was hit in the Gaza Strip
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says an aid convoy was shot at by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued Monday, the WFP said it “strongly condemns the horrifying incident on January 5, when a clearly marked WFP convoy was shot at by Israeli forces near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, putting the lives of our staff at tremendous risk and leaving the vehicles immobilized.”
The Israeli army said it was looking into the report.
Eight of the staff involved were endangered by the Israeli shelling, the UN organization reported. They were unharmed.
The aid convoy had been authorized by Israeli authorities, the WFP emphasized.
“This unacceptable event is just the latest example of the complex and dangerous working environment that WFP and other agencies are operating in today. Security conditions in Gaza must urgently improve for lifesaving humanitarian assistance to continue.”
The WFP urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilian lives, and allow safe passage for humanitarian aid.
Several aid workers have been killed in Israeli aerial attacks in the course of the current Gaza war.
Palestinians inspect the destruction after a factory was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah. According to reports from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 28 people were killed following Israeli air strikes in the refugee camps of central Gaza Strip. Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
