Israel blocks vital food supplies to Gaza, says UNRWA – 2024-02-13 16:27:37

GAZA/Xinhua

The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) indicated this Monday that due to the lack of Israeli approval, vital food supplies cannot enter the Gaza Strip.

“Vital supplies to address food insecurity remain blocked because Israeli authorities have not approved the transfer of flour from the Israeli port of Ashdod to the Gaza Strip,” UNRWA said in a press release.

The statement added that the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza has been closed since February 7 due to Israeli protesters.

Furthermore, the Hamas government press office reported that some Palestinian families in the strip only receive food every 48 hours.

The office condemned Israel for blocking the Strip and preventing aid from reaching its destination, and called for an end to Israeli attacks on civilians and an end to the war. Egypt accuses Israel’s finance minister of ‘sabotaging’ Gaza ceasefire talks

Sabotaging the Cairo talks

Egypt said Monday that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is sabotaging talks in Cairo on a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Saturday, Smotrich called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to send any Israeli representatives to Cairo for hostage talks, the Times of Israel said on its website.

In a statement released today, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said that Smotrich “continues to make irresponsible and inflammatory statements, which only reveal a hunger for death and destruction and sabotage any attempt to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip.” .

The ministry considered that “such statements are totally unacceptable since Egypt has complete control of its territory and does not allow anyone to involve Egypt’s name in any failed attempt to justify its deficiencies.”

Egypt is hosting new rounds of talks sponsored by Egypt and Qatar, aimed at bringing calm to the Gaza Strip and freeing Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages.