UNICEF points out that the recent attack on one of its vehicles in Gaza shows how “dangerous” the situation is

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April 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Tess Ingram, has recounted how the most recent incident in which the organization has been involved occurred in the Gaza Strip, when on Tuesday one of the vehicles that was part of a humanitarian convoy was shot several times while waiting at an Israeli checkpoint.

The UNICEF convoy, which was transporting nutritional supplements, medicines and fuel to the north of the enclave, was made up of three cars and two trucks that were forced to park in a control zone by order of the Israeli authorities in the area, according to reports. Ingram in statements to Europa Press.

At that time, a shootout occurred in the checkpoint area. The shots were apparently aimed at the civilian population that was in the area. According to Ingram, two bullets hit the door and another hit the hood of the vehicle in which she was.

“We were lucky that no one was hurt, we were lucky that we were in an armored vehicle. This should not happen to a United Nations convoy on a coordinated mission, especially when it is stopped in a place where it has been instructed to wait,” he said. said the UNICEF spokesperson.

“I think this just indicates how dangerous Gaza continues to be, both for aid workers and civilians,” added Ingram, noting that two civilians apparently may have been injured in the incident, although the UNICEF team He could not corroborate it.

Thus, Ingram has denounced that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “is terrible”, since the local population does not receive sufficient supplies and there is a danger that famine will break out “at any moment.” At the moment, more than twenty children have died from malnutrition.

The situation not only affects the local population, but also the humanitarian workers themselves. Many of them have been moving south over the weeks, but many others still remain in the north of the enclave and face, like civilians, the lack of food, water and security.

ATTACK ON WCK COOPERATORS

On the other hand, Ingram has denounced the “tragic” death of seven workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) of Spanish chef José Andrés. The UNICEF spokesperson stressed that these types of episodes “should not happen” because “even wars have rules.”

“Those rules say that, under International Humanitarian Law, humanitarian aid workers, or any citizen… must be protected. There are special requirements for humanitarian aid workers to help us do our work, and one theirs is this coordination system,” he said.

Thus, Ingram has stressed that, according to WCK, his convoy had the approval of the Israeli authorities, but that they were still attacked. “This shows that the system is not working in Gaza,” he lamented, adding that organizations must be trusted to carry out their work.

“Right now we cannot trust because of what happened to the World Central Kitchen team, because of what happened to 200 humanitarian aid workers and because of what happened to us on Tuesday,” he reproached.

Finally, Ingram has stressed that the Gaza Strip has become the most dangerous place to be a child, since around 14,000 minors have died, according to data provided by the Gazan authorities, controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). ).