UN convoy held at gunpoint by Israeli army, spokesman says

“It could have ended in tragedy.” A UN convoy identified as such, due to participate in the polio vaccination campaign, was held at gunpoint for several hours on Monday 9 September in Gaza by the Israeli army, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General denounced on Tuesday 10 September.

The convoy of several UN agencies, including the agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “was arrested by Israeli forces” at the al-Rachid checkpoint even though he had all the necessary authorizations, assured Stéphane Dujarric. “The situation quickly escalated, with soldiers pointing their weapons directly at our personnel in the convoy, UN vehicles were surrounded by Israeli forces and shots were fired.”.

Israeli tanks and a bulldozer then approached, “pushing in UN vehicles in front and behind, compacting the convoy”added Stéphane Dujarric, noting that employees could not safely exit the vehicles.

In late August, a World Food Programme vehicle was shot several times at another Israeli army checkpoint in Gaza. And this was not the first time that UN vehicles had been hit by gunfire since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7.