The UN Middle East envoy has strongly condemned deadly airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday on a densely populated area in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.
Thousands of displaced Palestinians were staying in the camp in Khan Younis, and at least 19 people were killed, according to latest media reports.
‘Nowhere is safe in Gaza’
“While the IDF said it struck Hamas militants who were operating in a command-and-control centre embedded inside the Humanitarian zone, I underline that international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, must be upheld at all times,” Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement.
He emphasized that civilians must never be used as human shields.
“Yet again, such actions only underscore that nowhere is safe in Gaza,” he said.
Guterres ‘deeply alarmed’
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said via his Spokesperson at the regular noon briefing in New York that he was “deeply alarmed by the continued loss of life in Gaza.”
“He strongly condemns today’s Israeli air strikes in an Israeli-designated zone for displaced persons in Khan Younis”, said Stéphane Dujarric.
“The use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas is unconscionable. Palestinians had moved to this area in Khan Younis in search for shelter and search of safety, after being repeatedly instructed to do so by the Israeli authorities,” he continued.
Guterres called yet again for an immediate ceasefire and the “immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages and other nationalities still being held in Gaza.”
End the war
The envoy repeated his call for all sides to immediately reach an agreement that will bring about the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the killing of civilians must stop, and the horrific war must end.
“Ultimately, only a political path that outlines tangible, irreversible steps towards ending the occupation and establishing a two-State solution can put a durable end to the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis,” he said, noting that the UN stands ready to support all efforts towards this goal.
Guterres condemns convoy incident
Meanwhile, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported that on Monday the Israeli army stopped a convoy heading to north Gaza to vaccinate children against polio and held it for more than eight hours, despite prior detailed coordination.
The UN chief condemned the hours-long delay as “one of the most horrific assaults” on UN aid workers ability to deliver life-saving vaccines.
“Twelve UN staff members, whose movement was fully coordinated with Israeli forces and whose details were shared in advance, were stopped at a checkpoint on their way to northern Gaza to support the polio vaccination campaign”, said Dujarric.
“Israeli forces fired live shots and the UN convoy was compacted by a military tank and a bulldozer with our staff inside.
The convoy was held at this checkpoint for seven and a half hours and ultimately unable to fulfill its humanitarian mission, the statement added: “The Secretary-General strongly condemns this incident.”
UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a three-part campaign this month to protect more than 600,000 young children in the enclave against polio after the disease was detected in sewage samples in June.
The UN convoy carried national and international staff travelling to roll out the campaign in Gaza City and northern Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Staff threatened, vehicles damaged
The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff. Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armoured vehicles.
“This significant incident is the latest in a series of violations against UN staff including shootings at convoys and arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at checkpoints despite prior notification,” said Lazzarini.
“UN Staff must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety and be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Gaza is no different.”
Vaccinations underway
In a tweet later on Tuesday, UNRWA sent an update that despite the convoy delay “our teams have been able to vaccinate thousands of children in north Gaza today.”
“This is a race against time”, the agency added. “The spread of polio is a very real threat. Our colleagues continue to do the impossible to reach every child under the age of 10 across the Gaza Strip.”
One convoy, two missions
The delayed convoy was composed of two missions, UN health agency WHO said on Tuesday in Geneva.
One team was bringing fuel and vehicles for the third phase of the vaccination campaign, while another was attempting to bring desperately needed fuel to the embattled Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The enclave’s largest medical centre reopened its emergency department in early September after its destruction in an Israeli raid in November 2023 following claims that Palestinian armed groups were using the site for military purposes.
‘Not an isolated incident’
“This is not an isolated incident,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević, who deplored the lack of a “functioning deconfliction mechanism,” 11 months into the Gaza war.
Between 7 and 10 September, WHO teams tried to reach Al-Shifa hospital four times with no success.
“But we will try again today,” he said. “We really do our best, but this is a pattern: in August the number of denied requests for access doubled compared to previous months”.
