UNRWA Says Five Killed, 22 Wounded in Israeli Strike on Gaza Food Distribution Center
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least five people, including a staff member, were killed, and 22 others wounded after Israeli forces targeted a food distribution center in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini stated on Wednesday that the strike hit one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centers in the eastern part of Rafah. "Today’s attack on one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centers in the Gaza Strip comes as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine," Lazzarini said.
He continued, "Every day, we share the coordinates of all our facilities across the Gaza Strip with parties to the conflict." Lazzarini expressed concern that the attack occurred despite the Israeli Army having received the coordinates of this facility the day before.
Lazzarini further urged the protection of the UN, its staff, and its premises and called for an independent investigation into the incident.
Israel acknowledged an airstrike on a food aid distribution center in southern Gaza, claiming it targeted and killed a high-ranking member of a Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
In a statement, the UNRWA head added that since October 7, at least 165 team members have been killed while in the line of duty, and more than 400 people sheltering in UN buildings have also lost their lives due to Israel's attacks. The war has seen more than 150 of the agency’s facilities, including schools and shelters, hit, with some destroyed, and UNRWA staff reportedly mistreated and humiliated while in Israeli detention centers.
Separately, the health ministry in the Gaza Strip reported that six people were killed in the latest attack on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City. Some 83 wounded individuals have been transferred to the al-Shifa Medical Complex in the city. Israeli forces have intensified their offensives on the Kuwait Roundabout in recent weeks, where large groups gather to wait for aid deliveries.
Israeli forces also killed 11 people waiting for food aid at the roundabout on Monday night. The Israeli military has restricted the delivery of humanitarian supplies to northern Gaza for weeks, leading to thousands of children going without sufficient food and medication.
The prevention of aid convoys comes amid a dire warning from humanitarian officials, stating that unless a ceasefire is implemented and aid is significantly increased, the toll of malnutrition and disease is expected to rise, leading to an alarming loss of lives. So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 73,024 others.