The United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said on Sunday that its international staff and convoys were still being denied entry to Gaza and that food, hygiene kits, tents and other supplies were urgently needed.
“A ceasefire is not enough,” UNRWA wrote on X, calling its roughly 12,000 staff based in Gaza “the backbone of the UN’s humanitarian response”, providing medical care, psychosocial support and education under “unimaginable circumstances”.
The statement came amid heightened humanitarian needs and traffic restrictions, even though a recent cease-fire deal has done little to ease the blockade of Gaza.
In late October, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must allow UNRWA and other UN agencies to provide aid unhindered, rejecting Israel’s claims that the agency was being violated.
The court stressed that denying food, medicine and shelter to civilians violates international law and cannot be justified on security grounds.
But Israel has resisted the ruling, tightly controlling border points and restricting the flow of aid.