Gaza: UN envoy condemns deadly strike on camp in humanitarian zone

‘Nowhere is safe in Gaza’

“While the IDF said it struck Hamas militants who were operating in a command-and-control centre embedded inside the Humanitarian zone, I underline that international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack, must be upheld at all times,” Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement.

He emphasized that civilians must never be used as human shields. 

“Yet again, such actions only underscore that nowhere is safe in Gaza,” he said.

End the war

The envoy repeated his call for all sides to immediately reach an agreement that will bring about the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the killing of civilians must stop, and the horrific war must end.

“Ultimately, only a political path that outlines tangible, irreversible steps towards ending the occupation and establishing a two-State solution can put a durable end to the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis,” he said, noting that the UN stands ready to support all efforts towards this goal.

Polio convoy stopped

Meanwhile, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reported that on Monday the Israeli army stopped a convoy heading to north Gaza to vaccinate children against polio and held it for more than eight hours, despite prior detailed coordination.

UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a three-part campaign this month to protect more than 600,000 young children in the enclave against polio after the disease was detected in sewage samples in June.

The UN convoy carried national and international staff travelling to roll out the campaign in Gaza City and northern Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Staff threatened, vehicles damaged

The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff. Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armoured vehicles.

Mr. Lazzarini noted that while all staff and the convoy were released and back safe at base, he was unsure whether the polio campaign would be able to take place in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

“This significant incident is the latest in a series of violations against UN staff including shootings at convoys and arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at checkpoints despite prior notification,” he said.

“UN Staff must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety and be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Gaza is no different.”

Vaccinations underway

In a tweet later on Tuesday, UNRWA sent an update that despite the convoy delay “our teams have been able to vaccinate thousands of children in north Gaza today.”

“This is a race against time”, the agency added. “The spread of polio is a very real threat. Our colleagues continue to do the impossible to reach every child under the age of 10 across the Gaza Strip.”

One convoy, two missions

The delayed convoy was composed of two missions, UN health agency WHO said on Tuesday in Geneva.

One team was bringing fuel and vehicles for the third phase of the vaccination campaign, while another was attempting to bring desperately needed fuel to the embattled Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The enclave’s largest medical centre reopened its emergency department in early September after its destruction in an Israeli raid in November 2023 following claims that Palestinian armed groups were using the site for military purposes.

‘Not an isolated incident’

“This is not an isolated incident,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević, who deplored the lack of a “functioning deconfliction mechanism,” 11 months into the Gaza war.

Between 7 and 10 September, WHO teams tried to reach Al-Shifa hospital four times with no success. 

“But we will try again today,” he said. “We really do our best, but this is a pattern: in August the number of denied requests for access doubled compared to previous months”.