The United Nations announced on Monday that he would have reduced his presence to Gaza by withdrawing about a third of his international workers there, following repeated strikes of his structures by Israel.
The Secretary General António Guterres declared in a declaration that the decision to reduce the imprint of the organization to Gaza was “difficult” at a time when humanitarian needs were conceded and with the resumption of Israeli attacks were killing hundreds of Palestinians, including women and children.
The withdrawal announced on Monday would be the first time since the beginning of the Hamas Israeli war in 2023 that the United Nations have reduced his workforce to Gaza, but will keep a presence there.
“The United Nations are not leaving Gaza. The organization remains committed to continuing to provide aid on which civilians depend on their survival and protection,” said Guterres in the declaration.
At least 280 members of the United Nations staff were killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, the largest loss of human lives of the organization in any conflict in its history, said Guterres.
Stéphane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said that about 30 percent of the approximately 100 members of the international staff of the organization of several agencies would have left Gaza the following week and that more they would start in the coming weeks.
The members of the local Palestinian staff would remain in Gaza to carry out a humanitarian work.
On March 19, a shell of Israeli tank hit a United Nations complex located in the Deir district at the Balah of Gaza, said Dujarric. The attack killed a member of the United Nations staff by Bulgaria and has injured six others.
“The point is that the Israelis knew exactly where this structure of the United Nations was, and was hit by a shell of one of their tanks,” said Dujarric. He said that the United Nations wanted an independent investigation and invited all the parties to war to respect the international laws that protect the United Nations premises and humanitarian operators.
“An initial investigation into this accident has not found any link with the IDF,” said Jonathan Harounoff, spokesman for the United Nations of Israel, referring to the Israeli defense forces. He added: “Our only objectives are the terrorists of Hamas whose raison d’etre is to kill and kidnap the Israelis, use Gazan as human shields and use United Nations structures as launch bearings and weapons deposits”.
The United Nations said that Israel has targeted his compounds, convoys and workers on several occasions in Gaza.
Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid in Gaza since March 2 and with closed border crossings, no food, medicine, fuel or clean water entered the strip in which two million people rely on essential aid for weeks.
Israel said he blocked aid and resumed air attacks, shattering a fragile agreement of ceased fire with Hamas, because the militant group, which led on October 7, 2023, assault on Israel who started the war, had refused to release the remaining hostages he had taken. Of the 59 hostages left in Gaza, it is believed that less than half are alive.
Dujarric said that Israeli strikes had also targeted ambulances and medical operators who were trying to save the survivors of air attacks.