Smotrich: ‘Not a single grain of wheat’ will enter Gaza
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has vowed to prevent the entry of all humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Not even a grain of wheat will enter Gaza,” Smotrich said in a statement to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
Smotrich said he has prioritized the complete defeat of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas over the return of the Israeli captives.
Since March 2, weeks before the regime broke the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, it had closed down all the crossings into Gaza, and stopped the flow of humanitarian and medical aid.
On Tuesday, the heads of six UN agencies appealed to world leaders in a statement to act urgently in order to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.
“With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act firmly, urgently and decisively, and to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.”
The statement has been signed by the heads of the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN’s children’s agency (UNICEF), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Israel has also halted the flow of water from the Israeli company, Mekorot, to the Gaza Strip, blocking 70 percent of Gaza’s total water supply.
Gaza municipality spokesperson Hosni Mehanna has said the disconnection is from the main pipeline located in the Shujayea neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, where Israeli forces have been conducting a military assault since April 3.
The disconnection may have either been the result of direct military activity by the Israeli forces or due to a deliberate political decision by the regime’s authorities, he said.
“Regardless of the cause, the consequences are dire. If the flow of water from Mekorot is not restored soon, Gaza will face a full-blown water crisis.”
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