UN Aid Chief Calls on Israel to End Gaza Blockade
While briefing the 15-member body earlier this week, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said: “Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law?”
In a letter to Fletcher on Friday, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accused him of delivering “a political sermon” and weaponizing the word genocide against Israel, questioning under what authority he made what Israel viewed as an accusation.
‘LET US DO OUR WORK’
In a letter to Danon on Friday, Fletcher responded: “I fervently believe in the U.N. Charter, and in our obligation to act with humanity, independence, impartiality, and neutrality. And of course, honesty about what we observe, and are mandated to report.”
Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 100
The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants from Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies, and has blocked all aid to Gaza since March 2, demanding Hamas release all remaining hostages. A global hunger monitor warned on Monday that half a million people face starvation – about a quarter of the population in the enclave.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that “a lot of people are starving in Gaza.”
Fletcher appealed to Israel to lift the aid block, telling Danon there are 9,000 trucks – half of them carrying food – which had all been cleared by COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, and were ready to enter Gaza.
“We have solid plans to distribute to civilians, with verification measures to ensure that aid does not get stolen by Hamas. We showed during the ceasefire that we can deliver at scale,” he wrote. “Please let us do our work.”
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