Israel continues to block aid missions delivering life-saving assistance to northern Gaza: UN

The UN on Wednesday reported that separate UN attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to areas in northern Gaza had been thwarted by Israel in the past two days.

"Yesterday and today, six attempts to deliver life-saving assistance to besieged areas in North Gaza governorate were blocked" by Israeli authorities, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, citing the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Saying that missions planned for Jabalya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya faced barriers, Dujarric indicated the impediment left civilians in those besieged regions without the aid they urgently need.

"The three missions planned for yesterday aimed to bring food and water to Jabalya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. Today's missions were meant to deliver food and water into Beit Lahiya and Jabalya, and to provide protection and psychosocial support for children in Jabalya," he noted.

Dujarric said the UN remains committed to its mission to assist those affected by the war and it has submitted four additional requests to Israeli authorities for access to those areas on Thursday.

Northern Gaza has been under a full military blockade since Israel's ground operation began Oct. 27, 2023, compounding a pre-existing scarcity of food, medicine and fuel that has led to widespread suffering, particularly among children and the elderly.

Israel has continued a devastating onslaught against Gaza since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas in October 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 43,700 people have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 103,000 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.