Despite President Biden’s letter on Oct. 13 demanding increased aid to Gaza, the United Nations insists that aid convoys in Gaza continue to be attacked by the Israel Defense Force (IDF), according to the Washington Post. UN aid convoys have come under fire by Israeli soldiers at least four times in three months, causing damage to vehicles and barely missing the vehicle’s occupants. On Sept. 9, a UN polio response convoy was detained and held at gunpoint for 7.5 hours by IDF troops who claimed that several of the UN staff members were actually on a list of wanted terrorists. Each UN staff member was questioned individually, and eventually the convoy was allowed to proceed. “They basically surrounded our vehicles, pointing assault rifles at our cars, and they were shouting that we’re terrorists,” said a UN staffer quoted in the Post.
Other UN staffers say that Israeli checkpoints are often manned by reservists who have enormous power and face almost no consequences for their actions. The Washington Post presented a detailed list of alleged incidents of abuse and violence against UN aid workers to the Israeli military, but there was no response from Israeli officials. UN humanitarian workers say that they must remain in Gaza, because the civilians who are suffering are not allowed to leave to seek aid elsewhere.
Aid organizations report that Gaza has become the deadliest place on Earth for relief workers. The Danish Refugee Council conveys that Israel’s designations of “safe zones” and “evacuation corridors” have proven to be a deadly farce; that, far from being sanctuaries, these areas have become traps and are frequently targeted by airstrikes. At least 287 aid workers have been killed in the last year in Gaza, and 205 of these deaths were UN employees. The World Health Organization estimates that over 500 health workers have been killed in Gaza and 300 health workers arrested and held in Israeli detention camps, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The U.S. government has its Aid Workers Security Database on Gaza, but will admit that the figures underreport the problem, due to the chaos on the ground.
