The WFP has suspended the movement of its staff in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after one of its vehicles came under gunfire just meters away from an Israeli-controlled checkpoint. The incident occurred Tuesday night as the vehicle approached the Wadi Gaza Bridge checkpoint.”None of the employees on board sustained injuries,” the WFP said.
Blaming Israel for the attack, the UN said the “clearly-marked” humanitarian vehicle was “struck 10 times” by Israeli gunfire. The UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that some of the bullets came on the windscreen while five others were on the driver’s side.
The team was returning from a mission to Karem Abu Salem, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, with two WFP armored vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo to Gaza’s central area. Dujarric said the convoy’s movements had been coordinated with the Israeli military and it had clearance to approach.
“This is the latest incident to underscore that system in place for coordination are not working,” he said, adding, “we will continue to work with the IDF to ensure that incidents like that do not happen again.” WFP’s Cindy McCain described the attack as “unacceptable” and said it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary incidents that have endangered the lives” of her team members in Gaza.
“As last night’s incidents show, the present deconfliction system is failing, and this cannot continue,” she said. WFP urges the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety and security of all those working in aid across Gaza.
This is not the first security incident that the WFP team has faced during the war; though such clearance had been obtained, as per the established protocols, this time, one of its vehicles was directly shot at near a checkpoint.
