Analysis: If aid workers are too wary to move around Gaza, desperate people will suffer
Alistair Bankal, Middle East Correspondent
Yesterday morning, the IDF announced that it had completed the operation at Al Shifa Hospital and was withdrawing.
In a press conference with journalists, the spokesperson reported on the success of the operation and praised efforts to ensure that patients and civilians were not harmed. However, photos and stories that have since emerged from the hospital tell a different story, showing the medical facility in complete ruins.
Then, late last night, news broke that seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the north-south highway.
The fact that some of them were foreign nationals, including British nationals, should not be particularly significant, but it does raise the question of the enormous risks faced by humanitarian workers working in Gaza, and of the fact that they were intentionally Accusations of being targeted or attacked as a result of attacks will receive more attention. Reckless military service.
This incident is a tragic example of a major unresolved issue in conflict resolution that has a significant impact on aid and humanitarian efforts.
A senior United Nations official told me over the weekend that the UN had notified the Israel Defense Forces of the personnel’s presence, but a location where the personnel were was bombed.
Aid convoys attempting to reach northern Gaza were forced to turn back or simply did not cross, as the risk of Israeli artillery fire was too great.
Israel has not admitted responsibility for last night’s attack, but in past cases it has been quick to steadfastly and angrily deny it if it was convinced of its innocence.
Instead, they announced a “thorough review at the highest levels,” but it’s unclear whether that will be enough to reassure foreign governments and humanitarian organizations.
Unless something is done urgently, aid workers will understandably become increasingly wary of where they move in the Gaza Strip in the wake of this latest attack, which will, of course, make the most Those affected will be desperate people.
