The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced on Sunday that it has temporarily halted its aid operations from an American-built pier in Gaza due to safety concerns. This decision comes after a deadly day of conflict that saw an Israeli military assault, which freed four hostages but resulted in the deaths of 274 Palestinians and one Israeli commando. The assault also led to the rocketing of two WFP warehouses in Gaza, injuring one staff member.
Cindy McCain, WFP’s Executive Director, expressed her concern about the safety of the organization’s personnel. “I’m concerned about the safety of our people after the incidents yesterday,” McCain said during an interview with CBS. She explained that the decision to pause operations was made to ensure the safety of staff and to conduct a thorough security review. “We’ve stepped back just for the moment to make sure that we’re on safe terms and on safe ground before we restart,” she added.
The WFP is a key partner to the U.S. in distributing humanitarian aid to Gaza through the temporary pier assembled by the U.S. military. This pier, completed in mid-May, had only been operational for a short period before being damaged by a storm and subsequently repaired. It resumed operations on Saturday, bringing in 1.1 million pounds of food and other aid before the decision was made to pause activities.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) described the halt as a necessary step to allow for a comprehensive security review by the humanitarian community in Gaza. USAID and WFP work closely together to distribute aid coming through the U.S.-operated pier. Despite the pause, WFP continues to deliver food parcels, hot meals, and support bakeries across Gaza, as conditions allow.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they are investigating the incidents involving the WFP warehouses. Meanwhile, international assistance has been offered by the U.S., the U.K., Norway, and Israel, providing specialized technologies to aid in the search and security efforts.
President Joe Biden had directed the U.S. military to set up the temporary pier to facilitate the flow of aid into Gaza, where fighting and Israeli restrictions on land crossings have brought many of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to the brink of famine.
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