Israeli Soldiers Halt UN Polio Vaccination Convoy in Gaza, Staff Detained and Shots Fired
The escalation of tensions reached a new high when Israeli soldiers detained two UN staff members and stopped a convoy used in a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. During the operation that took place at Al Rashid Checkpoint, an actual shooting took place, and vehicles were burned with a bulldozer, said the statement from the office of the United Nation’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Palestine Muhannad Hadi.
This convoy, which was carrying 12 UN staff, was to observe with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before the mission. The team was en route to North Gaza to participate in the third round of polio vaccination. However, things took a nasty turn when soldiers wanted to interrogate two members of the convoy. The tensions rose to the level of threats with guns, firing off bullets, and military trucks approaching the convoy.
In Hadi’s account, he stated that they were forced to run the lives of the UN staff in the vehicles where soldiers were aiming their firearms towards them. The convoy was, in effect, held at gunpoint while senior UN officials negotiated with the Israelis –to defuse the situation. More than seven hours of detention, of which the two employees of the organization are released. However, due to an insecure situation, the mission of administering polio vaccines was called off, and the convoy had to retreat to base.
The IDF stated that they attacked because intelligence information received indicated that there were ‘Palestinian suspects’ in the convoy, and so they decided to hold back and interrogate the staff. They also dismissed claims that it was transporting polio vaccines, saying that the convoy was only moving personnel in the different parts of the country.
This particular event illustrates the increasing danger to humanitarian workers in this specific region. However, even with the coordination efforts of the UN and the IDF, aid workers still face many challenges, such as attacks, while delivering services. As Hadi pointed out, “On this basis, such protection is mandatory under international humanitarian law,” pointing out the weak security assurance.
The most recent conflict occurred amid a number of similar attacks on humanitarian workers in the region. Local and international employees working for humanitarian organizations have been at risk of losing their lives while in the attempt to provide humanitarian assistance due to the existing conflict. Seven humanitarians from the World Central Kitchen organization, which included three British citizens, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in April.
The head of the UN’s primary relief agency in Palestine, Philippe Lazzarini, called it a part of a pattern of UN abuses against its personnel. “This latest act is one of the many abuses against the United Nations staff, shootings at the convoys, and arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at the checkpoints in spite of having been informed,” Lazzarini stated.
Due to the uprising of the conflict on October 7 as a result of the Hamas attack on the Israelites, humanitarian assistance in Gaza has been very hard to come by. Unrwa said more than 280 aid workers have been killed, with 207 of them being Unrwa employees, demonstrating the severity of the hazard facing people trying to help in the besieged area.
This recent event exacerbates the dangers and risks that Humanitarian workers face in Gaza as the UN and other international humanitarian organizations seek enhanced security and access. Hence, it is important to deliver needed humanitarian assistance and aid to civilians trapped in the conflict zone more effectively and efficiently.
