World Food Programme vehicle attacked in Gaza, humanitarian operations suspended

On the evening of August 27 local time, near a checkpoint in the Wadi Gaza area in central Gaza Strip, a convoy of the World Food Programme returning after completing an aid delivery mission was attacked. This clearly marked United Nations humanitarian relief vehicle was hit by Israeli army gunfire at least ten times. There were bullet holes in the front window, on the driver's side, on the passenger's side and other parts of the vehicle. There were one, five, two and three bullets respectively. Fortunately, no one on the vehicle was injured.

On August 28, the World Food Programme announced the suspension of its humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip until further notice. Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said this incident is "completely unacceptable" and is the latest in a series of unnecessary security incidents endangering the lives of the Gaza team. She called on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to the conflict to take immediate action to ensure the safety of all aid workers in the Gaza Strip.

It is understood that this is the first time a World Food Programme vehicle has been directly shot near a checkpoint. Previously, the convoy escorted a truck convoy carrying humanitarian cargo to the central Gaza Strip and was attacked on the way back. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, confirmed the incident and said the United Nations had previously shared information about the vehicle with Israel, but this incident shows that the existing coordination system has failed to function.

The Israeli military said in a statement on the 28th that it is reviewing the incident and claimed that Israel is committed to strengthening coordination with humanitarian organizations and enhancing the safety of humanitarian organizations to ensure effective aid delivery in the Gaza Strip.

This incident has attracted widespread attention from the international community. All parties have called for respect for international humanitarian law, ensuring the safety of humanitarian workers, and demanding that Israel explain and investigate the incident to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is already severe. The suspension of operations by the World Food Programme will likely pose more severe challenges to local food supply and other issues.