Israel denies UN staff entry through Gaza’s Rafah crossing, UNRWA warns of disaster

Israeli occupation forces Tuesday denied United Nations workers from entry to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing, which Israeli troops took control of earlier in the day. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesman Jens Laerke told a press conference in Geneva "we are not currently present at Rafah crossing because the Office for Coordination of the Israeli Government's Activities in the Palestinian Territories refused to allow us access to this area, which is the main crossing point for humanitarian aid." "We were told that there will currently be no crossing of individuals or goods", he said, which has a tremendous impact on the amount of United Nations stock in Gaza. Laerke said the United Nations has a very small stock of fuel for humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, which is enough for about one day, due to the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The UN official said fuel enters only through Rafah, and that this stock is for the entire humanitarian oper ation in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned of the ban on the entry of aid to Gaza through Rafah crossing. The refugee agency said that the continued disruption of the entry of aid and fuel supplies via the Rafah crossing will halt the critical humanitarian response throughout the Gaza Strip. It said the "catastrophic hunger" people face, especially in northern Gaza, will get worse if supply routes are cut off. Source: Jordan News Agency