UN halts Rafah food distribution due to shortages and hostilities
Food distribution in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, has been suspended due to a lack of supplies and insecurity, according to the UN.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that its distribution centre and a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse are now inaccessible because of the ongoing Israeli military operations against Hamas in eastern Rafah.
Approximately 810,000 of the more than a million people seeking refuge in Rafah have fled since the Israeli operation began on May 6.
UNRWA also stated that its health centres have not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days.
The US reported that it does not believe any of the 569 tonnes of food and other aid that entered Gaza through a newly completed floating pier has been distributed to Palestinians by aid organisations.
On Saturday, crowds of Palestinians looted several WFP trucks transporting aid from the pier to a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, prompting the agency to suspend deliveries.
The WFP said distribution has been paused as the UN plans new routes to avoid crowds.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the largest partially functional hospital in northern Gaza was reportedly hit four times on Tuesday as battles rage between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the nearby Jabalia area.
The Israeli military said it is reviewing reports from medics at Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia that its emergency department was struck by Israeli missiles, forcing them to move patients on hospital beds to a street outside.
The WHO also reported that al-Awda hospital in Jabalia has been besieged since Sunday, with dozens of staff, patients, and their companions trapped inside.