LAST UPDATE | 28 Aug 2024

ISRAELI GUNFIRE HAS hit a United Nations humanitarian vehicle, according to the UN.

The humanitarian vehicle was struck by Israeli military gunfire yesterday evening while it was part of a convoy in Gaza that had been coordinated with the Israeli Defence Forces.

The vehicle belonged to the World Food Programme, a UN-back humanitarian aid operation.

“A clearly marked UN humanitarian vehicle, part of a convoy that had been fully coordinated with the IDF, was struck 10 times by IDF gunfire, including with bullets targeting front windows,” UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said today, speaking at a press conference.

The spokesperson added that the two occupants were unharmed.

Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Programme, called it “totally unacceptable” and said it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary security incidents that have endangered the lives of WFP’s team in Gaza”.

The World Food Programme is pausing the movement of its staff in Gaza “until further notice” after the strike.

Earlier this week, all UN humanitarian operations were forced to pause in Gaza due to evacuation orders from Israel on regions where personnel had been relocated.

Additional reporting by © AFP 2024 and Muiris O’Cearbhaill