The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a temporary halt to the movement of its staff in the Gaza Strip “for the time being,” after one of its vehicles was fired upon just meters away from an Israeli checkpoint. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening as the vehicle approached the Wadi Gaza bridge. WFP confirmed that none of the staff on board were physically harmed.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric indicated that Israel was responsible for the attack, stating to reporters in New York that the “clearly marked” humanitarian vehicle was “hit 10 times” by Israeli gunfire, including bullets that targeted the windshield. Five shots struck the driver’s side, and several hit the front window. The team was returning from a mission in Karem Abu Salem, also known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, with two WFP escort vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks delivering humanitarian aid to Central Gaza.
Dujarric emphasized that the convoy had been coordinated with the Israeli military and had received approval to approach. “This is the latest incident that underscores that the existing coordination systems are not functioning,” he said, adding that “we will continue to work with the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.”
WFP’s Executive Director, Cindy McCain, described the attack as “unacceptable” and stated that it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary incidents that have endangered the lives of her team members in Gaza.” She added that “as the incidents of yesterday demonstrate, the current deconfliction system is failing, and this cannot continue.”
The WFP called on the Israeli authorities and all parties involved in the conflict to ensure the safety of all humanitarian workers in Gaza. They pointed out that while this is not the first security incident the WFP team has experienced during the conflict, it is the first time one of their vehicles has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite having secured the necessary permissions according to standard protocol.