UNRWA Halts Gaza Food Distribution Amid Rising Insecurity and Supply Shortages

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has suspended food distribution in Rafah, Gaza, due to supply shortages and insecurity. With only seven out of 24 health centers operational and no medical supplies received in 10 days, the situation remains dire amidst ongoing Israeli attacks.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday that food distribution in Gaza's southern city of Rafah were currently suspended due to lack of supplies and insecurity. UNRWA said in a statement on X that only seven out of its 24 health centres were operational and that it had not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days due to "closures/disruptions" at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings into Gaza.

Israel mounted a new push in central Gaza on Monday, bombarding towns in the north of the Palestinian enclave and saying it intended to broaden operations in Rafah despite U.S. warnings of the risk of mass casualties in the southern city. Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the southern and northern edges of Hamas-ruled Gaza this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.