Gaza [Palestine], May 12: A new UN report has outlined how Israeli forces are hindering humanitarian operations inside Gaza - and even a life-saving rescue attempt.The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on April 9 it attempted - as part of a mission coordinated with the Israeli military - to get a truck carrying 18,000 litres of desperately needed fuel to northern Gaza.
OCHA's team waited as required at a holding area near a checkpoint in the militarised boundary between northern and southern Gaza when a UN vehicle - sent to assist with a mechanical issue encountered by the fuel tanker - observed a Palestinian man with a gunshot wound to the head who was still alive.
"The organization, in coordination with OCHA, urgently requested permission from Israeli authorities to provide first aid and transport the injured man to an ambulance. While waiting for the approval, live ammunition was fired from the direction of the checkpoint, hitting the fuel tanker's windscreen.
"The approval to assist the injured man was never granted, and the man died after more than two hours without medical treatment."
The OCHA also said it's struggling to provide Palestinians with aid because of Israeli restrictions: key crossings are closed, missions denied, and movement delayed.
Source: Qatar Tribune
