WFP suspends staff movements in Gaza after Israeli forces attack its team | Israel-Palestine conflict news

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, it was the first time in the ten-month war that one of their vehicles had been shot at directly near a checkpoint.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it will suspend the movements of its staff in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after one of its vehicles was hit by gunfire just metres from an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening as the vehicle approached the Wadi Gaza Bridge checkpoint.

“No staff on board were physically injured,” the WFP said in a statement.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that the “clearly marked” humanitarian vehicle was hit “ten times” by Israeli gunfire, including bullets aimed at the windshield.

Five of the bullets were on the driver's side and some were in the windshield.

The team had returned in two WFP armored vehicles from a mission in Karem Abu Salem, known to Israelis as Kerem Shalom, after escorting a truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid en route to central Gaza.

Dujarric said the convoy's movements had been coordinated with the Israeli military and he had clearance to approach.

“This is the latest incident that underscores that existing coordination systems are not working,” he said, adding: “We will continue to work with the Israeli army to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again.”

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain called the attack “unacceptable” and said it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary incidents that have endangered the lives” of her team members in Gaza.

“As last night's events show, the current system of conflict prevention is failing and cannot continue like this,” she added.

WFP called on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of all aid workers in the Gaza Strip.

It added that while this was not the first security incident the WFP team had faced during the war, it was the first time that one of its vehicles had been directly fired upon near a checkpoint, despite obtaining the necessary permits as per standard protocol.