TheCable

The United Nations (UN) office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has accused the Israeli military of blocking a convoy evacuating patients from Khan Younis in war-torn Gaza.

Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson, spoke to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

Laerke said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) blocked the convoy for seven hours and assaulted the paramedics.

“The Israeli military forced patients and staff out of the ambulances and stripped all paramedics of their clothes,” the OCHA spokesperson said.

“Three PRCS paramedics were subsequently detained, although their personal details had been shared with the Israeli forces in advance, while the rest of the convoy stayed in the place for over seven hours.”

The UN official said some of the patients were a pregnant woman and a mother with her newborn.

“This is not an isolated incident,” Laerke said.

“Aid convoys have come under fire and are systematically denied access to people in need.

“Humanitarian workers have been harassed, intimidated or detained by Israeli forces, and humanitarian infrastructure had been hit.”

He said the patients were later transported to other facilities, but it had not been possible to evacuate another 31 seriously ill people from the hospital which has been destroyed by some 40 attacks within one month.

The Israeli army has previously denied hindering access to humanitarian aid and said it would look into the UN report.