WHO chief says Israel tanks fired on Gaza aid convoy

The World Health Organization chief on Tuesday said that Israeli tanks at the weekend had fired on an aid convoy that had been cleared to travel back from war-ravaged northern Gaza.

“Last Saturday, on the way back from a mission to the northern Gaza and after a WHO-led convoy got clearance and crossed the coast road checkpoint, the convoy encountered two Israeli tanks,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter.

“Shots were fired from the tanks near the convoy. Luckily nobody was hurt,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”

The incident came just a week after the United Nations said that a convoy carrying workers for a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza had been held at gunpoint at an Israeli military checkpoint.

During that encounter, in the context of a massive vaccination campaign after the first case of polio in 25 years was registered in the Palestinian territory, shots were fired and convoy vehicles were rammed by a bulldozer, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said last week.

The “incident and the conduct of Israeli forces on the ground put the lives of our staff in danger,” he lamented.

“It is critical that Israeli forces take measures to protect humanitarian staff and assets to facilitate their work.”

In his post, Tedros hailed the teams in Saturday’s convoy who “despite the security risk” had managed to reach Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, to deliver supplies for the emergency room.

“Supplies were also delivered to support the Palestine Red Crescent Society facilities in the north, including for the treatment of noncommunicable diseases,” he said.

“The teams also facilitated the rotation of emergency medical teams.”

The United Nations health agency chief hailed the “unwavering humanitarian workers in Gaza”, who “amid extreme danger and life-threatening conditions… continue to deliver critical aid”.

They are “serving as the last hope for the survival for two million people in desperate need,” he said in his post.

“The minimum they deserve for their service is safety. The deconfliction mechanism needs to be adhered to. Ceasefire!”

The October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.