A United Nations spokesperson condemned Israel’s armed detention of a UN convoy in Gaza, which occurred on Monday and lasted for several hours at an Israeli military checkpoint. The spokesperson confirmed that gunfire was fired and a bulldozer struck vehicles belonging to the convoy.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated on Tuesday, “The behavior of Israeli forces on the ground endangers the lives of our crews,” denouncing the incident as “the latest example of the unacceptable risks and obstacles” facing humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territory.
Dujarric explained that the convoy was transporting 12 UN staff members headed to support a polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza, noting that “its movements were fully coordinated with the Israeli forces, with all details provided in advance.”
He reported that when the team was stopped at the “Al-Rasheed” checkpoint, they were informed that the Israeli forces wanted to detain two UN staff members from the convoy for interrogation. “The situation quickly escalated, with soldiers aiming their weapons directly at the UN staff in the convoy,” said Dujarric, adding that Israeli forces surrounded the UN vehicles and gunfire was discharged.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that “tanks and a bulldozer then approached the convoy and began ramming the UN vehicles from behind and front.” A bulldozer “dropped debris on the lead vehicle, while Israeli soldiers threatened the staff, making it impossible for them to safely exit their vehicles.”
“The convoy remained under armed threat while senior UN officials engaged with Israeli authorities to de-escalate the situation, and the two detained staff were eventually interrogated and released,” the office stated.
After seven and a half hours at the checkpoint, the convoy returned to base, unable to complete its humanitarian mission. Dujarric emphasized that “Israeli forces must take the necessary measures to protect humanitarian crews.”
In another context, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Mohanad Hadi, stated in Brussels on Tuesday that Palestinians in Gaza feel like “dead people” left to their fate. Quoting a Palestinian he met during his repeated visits to the Gaza Strip, Hadi said, “You should see us as two million zombies… left to our fate,” describing how the people of Gaza see themselves.
Hadi added, “Everything you take for granted or strive for every day is unavailable to the majority of Gaza’s residents.” He clarified that “many residents have nothing to eat” or lack access to drinking water or electricity. He stressed that “no one should suffer from war and poor policies. As humanitarian workers, we must address the consequences of wrong political choices.”
“It’s clear that politicians around the world are not doing what they are supposed to do, and that’s why we don’t have a ceasefire, and that’s why there’s no solution to the Gaza crisis,” he continued.
Hadi was in Brussels to hold a series of meetings with European officials while the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, was touring the region, visiting Egypt and Lebanon. Hadi noted, “Borrell’s visit will bring a vision, as my concern is that Gaza might disappear from the international radar and stop making headlines.”
