Source: Antiwar.com
On Friday the UN said that it was no longer able to continue aid deliveries into Gaza as an Israeli fuel blockade of the enclave has led to a widespread communications blackout. The World Health Organization warned that the ending of aid deliveries means the “immediate possibility of starvation” for the 2.3 million people in Gaza.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced it was forced to halt aid shipments into Gaza. “The communications network in #Gaza is down because there is NO fuel,” the agency said in a statement on social media. “This makes it impossible to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys.”
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini slammed Tel Aviv for causing a humanitarian crisis. “I do believe there is a deliberate attempt to strangle our operation and paralyze the UNRWA operation,” Lazzarini said on Thursday. “For weeks on end, we have pleaded, warning about the impact of the lack of fuel.”
On Thursday, Gaza’s telecommunications companies said they were out of fuel to run their network. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch issued a report saying if fuel was not allowed into Gaza, a communications blackout would occur. The group warned that “Prolonged and complete communications blackouts, like those experienced in Gaza, can provide cover for atrocities and breed impunity while further undermining humanitarian efforts and putting lives at risk.”…