A United Nations convoy on a humanitarian mission to support the polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza was attacked by Israeli forces this week. Despite prior coordination between the UN and Israeli military forces, the convoy was detained at a checkpoint for more than eight hours, during which Israeli tanks and bulldozers surrounded and rammed the convoy vehicles, jeopardizing the safety of UN personnel and delaying the vital health campaign.
The polio vaccination campaign, led by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), is essential for the protection of hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 10 in Gaza. The campaign aims to inoculate over 640,000 children against polio, a disease that poses a significant threat due to the region’s dire conditions and the ongoing blockade.
UNRWA had successfully vaccinated over 446,000 children in central and southern Gaza, but the situation in northern Gaza presented additional challenges. Last month, a 10-month-old infant developed paralysis due to the polio virus, amplifying the urgency of the campaign. As the agency prepared to enter the most complex phase of the vaccination drive in northern Gaza, it coordinated the convoy’s travel in detail with Israeli authorities. However, despite these efforts, the convoy was halted by Israeli forces, obstructing its progress.
According to UN officials, the convoy was stopped by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint linking central and northern Gaza. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, reported that Israeli soldiers surrounded the convoy, pointing guns at the 12 UN staff members inside and demanding to detain two of them for questioning.
“The convoy was encircled by Israeli forces, and shots were fired,” Dujarric stated. Israeli tanks and bulldozers proceeded to ram the convoy vehicles, trapping the staff inside. One of the bulldozers dropped debris on the lead vehicle, further immobilizing it. “The convoy was compacted with UN staff still inside,” Dujarric added. Despite the threatening environment, no UN personnel were killed, but the attack forced the convoy to abandon its mission and return to base.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, condemned the incident, describing it as the latest in a series of dangerous confrontations between Israeli forces and UN staff. “This significant incident is the latest in a series of violations against UN staff including shootings at convoys and arrests by the Israeli Armed Forces at checkpoints despite prior notification,” Lazzarini said. “UN Staff must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety and be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. Gaza is no different.”
Israel had allegedly agreed to brief pauses in violence in certain areas—known as deconflicted zones—to allow the polio vaccination campaign to proceed without interruption. The attack on the convoy, however, raises serious doubts about Israel’s commitment to these deconfliction agreements. Other incidents, such as airstrikes near vaccination centers and a strike on a food stand between three deconflicted vaccination sites in northern Gaza, further call into question Israel’s adherence to its own agreements.
In one such instance, five Palestinians were killed in an airstrike near the deconflicted vaccination sites, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The group also reported similar airstrikes in southern Gaza that endangered the vaccination campaign. “We have also documented airstrikes in southern Gaza that similarly undermine the crucial polio vaccination campaign,” the organization said in a statement. These incidents, combined with the obstruction of the UN convoy, indicate a pattern of Israeli military actions that undermine humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Despite the challenges, UNRWA continued its vaccination campaign in northern Gaza following the attack. As of Tuesday, the agency reported vaccinating an additional 77,000 children in the region, but concerns remain about the safety of future missions. If Israeli forces continue to obstruct humanitarian efforts, the consequences could be catastrophic—not only for Gaza but also for neighboring regions, as polio outbreaks have the potential to spread beyond borders.
Health experts have warned that the spread of polio in Gaza, where the healthcare system is already under immense strain due to the blockade and conflict, could trigger a broader health crisis. The attack on the UN convoy, coupled with Israel’s failure to uphold its deconfliction agreements, only exacerbates these fears.
This latest attack is part of a broader pattern of Israeli aggression against humanitarian workers in Gaza. Just two weeks before the convoy incident, Israeli forces fired bullets at a vehicle belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP) as it approached a military checkpoint, despite the vehicle being clearly marked as part of a humanitarian mission. In that case, at least 10 bullets struck the vehicle, forcing WFP to temporarily suspend employee movements in Gaza.
The Israeli government later claimed the shooting was due to a “communication error” between military units, but WFP officials have yet to receive a full investigation report from the Israeli military. These incidents underscore the dangers faced by humanitarian workers in Gaza, who must navigate not only the challenges posed by the conflict but also the risks of direct military aggression.
Humanitarian organizations, including UNRWA and Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, are calling for accountability and immediate changes to Israel’s approach to deconfliction and the protection of humanitarian workers. Without these changes, both the polio vaccination campaign and broader relief efforts will continue to face significant risks.
“This incident—and the conduct of Israeli forces on the ground—put the lives of our staff in danger,” Dujarric said.
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