UN suspends food deliveries to northern Gaza as ceasefire efforts fail

The United Nations World Food Program said it was suspending deliveries of food aid to the northern Gaza Strip because conditions were too unsafe for aid workers to deliver the supplies.

The decision came as the US opposed another attempt at a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The United Nations suspended deliveries to the region for three weeks after an aid truck was hit. The agency said it planned to send 10 trucks of food every day for a week “to stem the tide of hunger and desperation and build confidence in communities that there would be enough food for everyone.”

But they said aid workers faced gunfire as they entered Gaza City on Sunday and were only able to distribute a small amount of food. A second convoy experienced chaos on Monday as several trucks were looted.

“Gaza is hanging by a thread and WFP must be empowered to reverse the path to starvation for thousands of desperately hungry people,” the UNWFP said.

SEE MORE: Israel orders new evacuations in Gaza, where children are malnourished

Earlier Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council failed to pass a measure calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East. The US used its veto power to block the measure. The vote was the third time the U.S. opposed such a measure.

The United States steadfastly supports Israel in continuing its offensive in Gaza, which has continued for more than four months since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In the months that followed, fighting forced most of Gaza’s two million residents to flee their homes. Israel has said Hamas fighters are in public places, making it difficult to take action against Hamas without also endangering civilians.