UN relief chief says Israel’s decision to halt Gaza aid ‘alarming’

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, has strongly denounced Israel's decision to halt aid into Gaza as "alarming." 

In a social media post on Sunday, Fletcher said “international law makes it clear that humanitarian assistance must be allowed into the Gaza Strip.”

Several UN aid agencies and human rights experts have warned that Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid is a flagrant breach of international law and an act of inhumanity.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned that Israel halting all entry of aid into Gaza will have devastating consequences for over two million civilians, who are already facing starvation and extreme deprivation.

“Humanitarian aid is not a privilege—it is a right,” said Angelita Caredda, NRC’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“People in Gaza are already facing desperate conditions. With food supplies running out, hospitals unable to function, and families struggling to find clean water, any restrictions on aid will push the civilian population beyond collapse.”

Separately, Jeremy Corbyn, who led the UK Labor Party between 2015 and 2020, said that Israel’s actions were a “resumption of genocide,” before adding that the British government was “complicit.”

Meanwhile, the international organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF)  strongly censured Israel’s use of aid as a "bargaining chip."

The decision is “outrageous and will have devastating consequences,” said the group’s emergency coordinator Caroline Seguin.

“Humanitarian aid should never be used as a tool of war,” added the international medical charity. 

“Regardless of negotiations between warring parties, people in Gaza still need an immediate and massive scale-up of humanitarian supplies,” it said in a statement. 

The reactions come as Israel blocked entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza after the first phase of the ceasefire deal ended with no agreement on a second phase.

Dozens of trucks carrying aid for the Palestinians remain stranded at the Rafah border in Egypt after Israel blocked entry into Gaza.

The Israeli regime has routinely and repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement, including through blocking the entry of tents, mobile homes and items of necessity.

The initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended without progress, despite negotiations in Cairo.

The ceasefire includes three six-week phases aimed at aiding humanitarian efforts, releasing captives, and withdrawal of Israeli troops.

While captives have been exchanged, stalled talks and continued Israeli violations threaten the truce and escalate hostilities.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has already denounced the Israeli move as a “war crime” against the besieged territory.

Hamas decries as ‘war crime’ Israeli suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza

The Israeli regime has suspended the entry of humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip amid the termination of the first phase of the January 19 ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said resistance factions in Gaza are committed to the ceasefire agreement based on the three phases.

The Islamic Jihad also slammed Israel for sabotaging the ceasefire in Gaza, and said the regime bears responsibility for the consequences. 

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