The UN food agency has said it is pausing the movement of its staff in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after its team came under fire near an Israeli checkpoint.
In a statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) said the incident happened at the Wadi Gaza bridge on Tuesday evening as two of its armoured vehicles were escorting a convoy of lorries with humanitarian aid.
The WFP said that while nobody was injured, one vehicle was directly hit, despite the convoy being clearly marked and “receiving multiple clearances by Israel”.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blamed Israel for the attack, telling reporters in New York that the “clearly marked” humanitarian vehicle was “struck 10 times” by Israeli gunfire, including with bullets targeting front windows.
Five of the bullets were on the driver’s side and some on the windscreen.
The team was returning from a mission to Karem Abu Salem, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo on the way to Gaza’s central area.
Dujarric said the convoy’s movements had been coordinated with the Israeli military and it had clearance to approach.
“This is the latest incident to underscore that systems in place for coordination are not working,” he said, adding that “we will continue to work with the [Israeli military] to ensure that incidents like that do not happen again”.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain described the attack as “unacceptable” and said it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary incidents that have endangered the lives” of her team members in Gaza.
The WFP called on Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza.
It added that while is not the first security incident the WFP team has faced during the war, it is the first time that one of its vehicles has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances, as per standard protocol.
