UNRWA says food distribution in Rafah suspended, citing insecurity

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says that food distribution in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah has been suspended due to a lack of supplies and insecurity in the densely populated city.

UNRWA said in a statement on X on Tuesday that only seven of its 24 health centres were operational and that it had not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days due to “closures/disruptions” at the Rafah and the Karem Abu Salem – known in Israel as Kerem Shalom – crossings into Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in the besieged territory has worsened since Israel seized and closed the Palestinian side of the Rafah land crossing with Egypt earlier this month.

The vital crossing, which had served as a major artery for life-saving aid and an entry and exit point for humanitarian workers, has been closed since May 7.

Senior UN aid official Edem Wosornu told the UN Security Council on Monday that there were insufficient supplies and fuel to provide any meaningful level of support to the people of Gaza.

“We are running out of words to describe what is happening in Gaza. We have described it as a catastrophe, a nightmare, as hell on earth. It is all of these, and worse,” she said.

She said that the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt had stopped the delivery of at least 82,000 tonnes of supplies, while access at Karem Abu Salem crossing from Israel was limited due to “hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures”.

In northern Gaza, where the UN warns a famine is imminent, Wosornu said the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing had been closed since May 9 and the newly opened Erez West crossing “is now being used for limited quantities of aid, but now areas in the vicinity of this crossing are also under evacuation orders” by Israel.