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- ‘It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food. I call for an immediate and independent investigation,’ says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
- At least 31 Palestinians killed and 176 wounded in attack on Sunday by Israeli forces near a controversial, US-backed aid site in the city of Rafah
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the killing of more than 30 Palestinians who were seeking food at a controversial, US-backed aid-distribution center in Gaza. He called for an “immediate and independent investigation” into the incident and demanded that those responsible “be held accountable.”
At least 31 Palestinians were killed and 176 wounded in the attack by Israeli forces near the aid site in the city of Rafah in the south of the territory.
“I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday,” Guterres said.
“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food. I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
The aid center close to the scene of the attack is managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American organization with which the Israeli government is working to implement a new aid-distribution system in Gaza that circumvents the traditional UN-led approach.
The UN has chosen not to work with the organization, citing concerns about its impartiality. Some humanitarian groups have said the aid initiative seems to have been tailored to align with Israeli military interests.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday the international organization and its humanitarian partners continue to urgently call for the full lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of aid and essential supplies, to ensure the basic needs of civilians in Gaza are met at a time when dire conditions persist in the territory.
He said that civilians there face repeated water shortages as the main pipeline in Deir Al-Balah, which previously delivered at least 12,000 cubic meters of water a day, remains out of service. Despite several attempts, humanitarian workers have been denied permission to carry out coordinated repair missions, Dujarric said. Five planned operations to distribute potable water to camps for displaced persons in Jabaliya were also blocked by Israeli authorities, he added.
Over the weekend, humanitarian teams managed to pick up more than 100 truckloads of food and medical supplies from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, bringing the total number collected to more than 300 since its recent reopening. However, access remains inconsistent and unpredictable, Dujarric said.
“Today, one of our attempts to collect supplies from that crossing was denied,” he added. “Another is still ongoing, awaiting a green light from Israeli authorities, a pause in the bombing along the route, and the allocation of a viable path.
“Because of the Israeli weekend and holiday, the border was kept closed, blocking us from bringing more supplies through Kerem Shalom since Saturday. Even when the crossing is open, severe restrictions on what we can bring in, both in terms of volume and variety, means it’s still just a trickle of what people need.”
In his statement, Guterres said: “Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian aid.
“The unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately. The UN must be allowed to work in safety and security under conditions of full respect or humanitarian principles.”