UN convoys attacked yet again

The @UN‘s World Food Programme is pausing all aid movement within #Gaza, after one of its convoys was fired upon by @IDF forces near a checkpoint yesterday.

“Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) checkpoint. It sustained at least ten bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle. None of the employees onboard were physically harmed.”

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@UN_Spokesperson

@StephDujarric says a humanitarian vehicle in #Gaza which was part of a convoy that was fully coordinated with the #IDF was struck by IDF gunfire 10 times yesterday evening and the two #UN staff members onboard were only saved by the bulletproof glass: “Yesterday evening, a clearly marked

@UN humanitarian vehicle, part of a convoy that had been fully coordinated with the IDF, was struck 10 times by IDF gunfire, including with bullets targeting front windows. The two staff members in the vehicle were thankfully unharmed, but this shows you – I think we had a senior colleague talk to you about the need for armored cars, and this is clearly one where it saved the lives of our two colleagues. This is the latest incident to underscore that systems in place for coordination are not working and we continue to work with the IDF to ensure that incidents like that do not happen again.”

Meanwhile, on the #WestBank, @StephDujarric says @UNOCHA colleagues “are warning that people there are increasingly exposed to deadly warfare tactics that seem to exceed international standards for law enforcement.” He notes that Israeli operations involved helicopters, drones, and ground forces and military bulldozers are destroying infrastructure (roads/electrical equipment). “Our human rights colleagues remind us that in the West Bank, Israeli forces must adhere to international policing standards where lethal force and firearms are the last resort. It can only be used against imminent threat of death or serious injury,” he says.