Israel continues to restrict aid efforts in North Gaza: UN

'Across Gaza yesterday, Israeli authorities facilitated only four out of eight of our requests for coordinated humanitarian movements,' says spokesman

The UN on Wednesday reported severe Israeli restrictions on aid efforts in Gaza, where civilians are enduring "horrific levels of violence" amid ongoing attacks. "Our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that Palestinian civilians endure horrific levels of violence as hostilities continue across the Gaza Strip," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at a news conference. Saying the UN and its partners provided aid to more than 2,000 families in southern and central Gaza between Dec. 22 and Jan. 4, Dujarric said: "We also assisted about 200 families in Gaza governorate itself." "Meanwhile, OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach North Gaza governorate, where Palestinians have been under siege for more than 90 days," he said. Noting that the UN's aid delivery attempt yesterday was denied by Israel, he said that "across Gaza yesterday, Israeli authorities facilitated only four out of eight of our requests for coordinated humanitarian movements. The rest were either denied or canceled due to security or logistical challenges." Dujarric also read out a statement from UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warning of a looming crisis if Israel's decision to ban the agency takes effect. "The decision would have a disastrous impact on the people that UNRWA supports," Lazzarini said in the statement, citing the loss of education for 700,000 children and a collapse in essential aid and health care services. In October 2024, the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, passed a law that effectively bans UNRWA's operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is set to take effect at the end of January 2025, three months after the vote. Israel claims that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas, an accusation vehemently denied by the UN agency. The UN has reaffirmed its commitment to neutrality, while Palestinians believe Israel aims to dismantle the agency and eliminate the refugee issue. Founded in 1949, UNRWA provides assistance to Palestinian refugees who were displaced during the creation of Israel. Currently, the agency operates in five key regions -- Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon -- serving nearly 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, according to its data. The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the enclave that has killed almost 46,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.