Jerusalem:
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Sunday that Israeli authorities have denied him entry to Gaza for the second time since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.
“Just this week – for the second time – they denied my entry to Gaza, where I planned to be with our UNRWA colleagues, including those on the front lines,” wrote Philippe Lazzarini on X, formerly Twitter.
Lazzarini has been to Gaza four times since the war broke out, including on March 17.
“Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian access to the United Nations,” he said on Sunday.
“Just in the last two weeks we have recorded ten incidents, including shooting at convoys, arrests of UN personnel, including harassment, stripping them, threats with weapons and long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move in the dark move or demolish,” Lazzarini said. .
He also called for an “independent investigation” into rocket fire that led to the closure of a key border crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Hamas's armed wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the launch on Sunday, saying militants had targeted Israeli forces in the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
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