- Title: Israel still imposing 'unlawful' restrictions on Gaza aid, UN rights office says
- Date: 16th April 2024
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (APRIL 16, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF U.N. EXTERIORS
- Embargoed: 30th April 2024 14:32
- Keywords: Gaza Hamas Israel UNICEF United Nations access human rights humanitarian aid war
- Location: OUTSKIRTS OF GAZA CITY, KHAN YOUNIS, GIVEN AS AND DEIR AL BALAH GAZA / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: OUTSKIRTS OF GAZA CITY, KHAN YOUNIS, GIVEN AS AND DEIR AL BALAH GAZA / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Palestinian Occupied Territory
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA007559616042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Israel is still imposing "unlawful" restrictions on humanitarian relief for Gaza, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday (April 16), despite assertions from Israel and others that barriers have eased.
Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip triggered by Hamas' deadly cross-border attacks on Oct. 7 has turned much of the Gaza strip into a wasteland, with hundreds of thousands of people now displaced and crowded into disease-ridden shelters.
The amount of aid now entering Gaza is disputed, with Israel and Washington saying aid flows have risen in recent days but U.N. agencies say it is still far below bare minimum levels.
"Israel continues to impose unlawful restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, and to carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, at a press briefing in Geneva, reiterating calls for unfettered access.
Israel, which denies hindering humanitarian relief to Gaza, has faced increased international pressure to let more supplies into the Gaza Strip since it hit an aid convoy on April 1, killing international relief workers.
More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities and over 76,000 injured. The war was launched in response to Hamas attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 people taken hostage, according to Israel's tally.
The U.N. children's agency (UNICEF) called for an increase in medical evacuations from Gaza, saying less than half of applications had been successful.
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