OCHA calls on Israel to respect its obligations for safe passage of aid

Gaza (Union)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said yesterday that the children of Gaza are starving, and Israel must respect its international obligations regarding the safe passage of relief aid into the Strip.
OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke added, “Life-saving aid entering the Gaza Strip does not reach civilians in need due to the difficulty of aid workers reaching it through active combat zones.” Laerke stressed, in a press conference, that “Gaza’s children are starving amid continuing obstacles to the arrival of aid.” He explained that “aid entering Gaza lands meters away across the border and is difficult for aid workers to reach through active combat zones.” The UN spokesman described the failure of aid to reach civilians in need in Gaza as “a major problem in the face of famine.”