The WFP released a statement on Monday condemning the attack and emphasizing that its vehicles were clearly marked.
“At least 16 bullets” hit the convoy of three vehicles carrying eight staff members that came under fire near Wadi Gaza checkpoint. “Thankfully, no staff members were harmed during this frightening incident,” the agency stated.
All necessary approvals had been acquired from Israeli authorities and WFP mentioned that this was just the latest instance of the challenging and unsafe working conditions faced by its teams.
Warehouse attack
These events occurred as reports emerged that a missile had struck a flour distribution warehouse in central Gaza operated by a UN aid partner over the weekend, resulting in three humanitarian workers being severely injured.
UN agency teams near the storage facility recounted hearing screams after the attack. They also witnessed looting and gunfire following the blast at the MA’AN Development Center site on Sunday.
It has been 15 months since the outbreak of war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas-led terrorist assaults on Israel which resulted in around 1,200 casualties in October 2023 and over 250 individuals being taken captive.
Discussions about a ceasefire between Palestinian officials and Israel have yet to yield an agreement to stop the violence or release the captives.
Reports continue to come in about Israeli bombings from air, land, and sea across the Gaza Strip, where a harsh winter has set in.
Eight infants are said to have died from hypothermia and over 45,300 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 107,700 have been injured; one in five of those injured has sustained life-altering wounds since October 7, 2023, based on official reports.
Tensions escalate in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping force there has called on all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from any actions that could jeopardize their fragile ceasefire following the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) “deliberate and direct destruction” of a withdrawal marker line in southern Lebanon.
In a statement denouncing the act over the weekend, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) detailed how peacekeepers witnessed an IDF bulldozer “destroying a blue barrel marking the withdrawal line between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces right next to a UNIFIL position there”.
This incident constitutes “a blatant violation of resolution 1701 and international law”, as stated by the UN Mission, in reference to the Security Council resolution put forth after the 2006 conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, aimed at putting an end to their hostilities.
Risky maneuvers
In recent times, UNIFIL has reported continued IDF operations north of the UN-patrolled Blue Line, despite a 60-day ceasefire deal signed on November 27, 2024, by the Governments of Israel and Lebanon.
This agreement involves Israel withdrawing from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah ceasing its armed presence there, within the same timeframe.
The agreement was intended to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that reignited in October 2023, following the Gaza conflict.
In an update on the situation, UN aid agencies noted ongoing complex humanitarian needs in Lebanon.
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, more than 860,000 internally displaced people in Lebanon have returned to their original communities as a result of the recent conflict, but nearly 124,000 individuals remain displaced.
Since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, around 90,000 individuals have arrived in Lebanon from Syria – both Lebanese and Syrian nationals – facing challenges such as “extensive destruction of residences and critical infrastructure, disruption of crucial services, risks from explosive ordnance, limited means of earning a living, and depleted coping mechanisms,” warned the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Those who remained in areas affected by the conflict throughout the escalation of hostilities are enduring dire conditions due to severely limited essential services for an extended period, the UN agency reported, urging for “urgent humanitarian assistance and support for long-term recovery”.
