Washington [US], September 18: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on September 17 that Israeli tanks fired on an aid convoy last week.
Writing on social network X, Mr. Tedros said that on September 14, a WHO-led convoy was returning from a mission in northern Gaza when it encountered two Israeli tanks while passing through a checkpoint , AFP reported.
"Tanks opened fire near the convoy. Luckily no one was injured. This is unacceptable," he stressed.
The Israeli military has not yet responded to the WHO director-general 's statement, according to The Times of Israel . The incident comes a week after the United Nations reported that another convoy carrying members of a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza was held at gunpoint at an Israeli military checkpoint. Israel then opened fire and the aid convoy was rammed by a bulldozer, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"The incidents and actions of Israeli forces on the ground have endangered the lives of our personnel," Dujarric said, adding that Israel needs to take measures to protect personnel and assets serving humanitarian relief operations .
Tedros on September 17 praised the aid team that appeared on the convoy on September 14, who "defied security risks" to go to al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital in the north, to provide supplies for the emergency room.
"Supplies are also being delivered to support Palestinian Red Crescent facilities in northern Gaza, including the treatment of non-communicable diseases," he added.
The WHO chief praised humanitarian workers in Gaza who "are in extremely dangerous and life-threatening situations but continue to provide vital aid".
"The least they deserve is safety," said Mr. Tedros, stressing the need for a de-escalation mechanism and calling for a ceasefire.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel, with 251 taken hostage. Tel Aviv's military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas has since killed more than 41,000 people, according to Gaza's health authority.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper