UNRWA says operational space in Gaza ‘shrinking’

The capacity for the UN Palestinian refugee agency to operate in Gaza is shrinking due to Israel’s refusal to cooperate with the agency, a spokesperson for the organisation has said.

“We’re finding that our operational space is really shrinking,” Tamara Alrifai told Al Jazeera.

Since the Israeli government announced last week that it would stop all cooperation with UNRWA, five requests to enter northern Gaza have been denied. Additionally, the agency’s trucks remain parked in al-Arish, on the Egyptian side of the border, waiting to enter Gaza.

Alrifai added that an average of 155 trucks entered Gaza every day, but this number was a far cry from the 500 trucks estimated by the UN to be the minimum required given the circumstances in Gaza.

“Any attempt to get food into Gaza is welcome, but the easiest, fastest and cheapest way is to use land crossings,” the spokesperson said. “Air drops are symbolic, a way to say: ‘We will bring food in against the odds’.”

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