On Tuesday, Israeli authorities accused the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) of “lie” condemning it Almost no humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip and blame Israel for block the import of basic products for example, scissors for medical purposes.

“Lying is a sign of desperation, (…) this did not happen,” said the Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military agency responsible for the Palestinian territories, in reference to comments made earlier by UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini. “Near 16 thousand trucks with humanitarian aid arrived in Gaza and only 1.5% were unable to enter,” COGAT added.

“Enough that the 1.5% were reorganized to later enter the zone. Your sources are incorrect. “We are constantly in contact with UN agencies and have not heard anything about this,” he assured.

Lazzarini previously said in a post on his X account that “The survival of the entire population depends on humanitarian assistance” and said there was “almost no help coming” amid “tighter restrictions.”

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In this sense, Lazarini noted that the Israeli authorities They blocked the entry of a truck with humanitarian aid because it was inside scissors used in children’s first aid kits. “Scissors have now been added to the long list of items banned by Israeli authorities on the grounds that they may have dual uses. This list includes life-saving items such as anesthetics, oxygen pumps and even water chlorination tablets, anti-cancer drugs and pregnancy kits,” he said.

Lazzarini, in turn, emphasized the importance of speeding up the delivery of humanitarian aid and basic products. “The lives of two million people depend on it. “There’s no time to waste,” he added.

For its part, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in its statement that Gaza residents are on the verge of famine and they need an “exponential increase in aid” reaching the Palestinian enclave.

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OCHA welcomed this ship with 200 tons of aid sailed from Cyprus, but stressed that this “should not serve as a substitute” for delivering humanitarian aid by land.

“Any food or emergency aid coming into Gaza, as we all know, is needed desperately; “There is no doubt about that,” said OCHA spokesman Jens Larke, adding that “this does not replace ground transportation of food and other emergency aid to Gaza and, in particular, to the north of Gaza.” “It can’t make up for that,” he concluded.

Europe Press