Geneva, 16 October 2023 (WAI): Aid Chief of UN Martin Griffiths declared his intention to fly to the Middle East to support discussions for humanitarian delivery to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
He said his administration had lengthy talks with Israel, Egypt, and other pertinent parties.
Martin Griffiths stated his intention to personally visit the region to engage in these conversations and express solidarity with relief workers’ hard work in Gaza and the West Bank.
He was to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday, with plans to visit other cities in the area during an extended stay.
The status of assistance deliveries and limited evacuations into Gaza, Israel’s only uncontrolled access port, remained unknown. According to reports, a temporary truce was proposed, but Israel and Hamas denied any official agreement.
Despite this uncertainty, the UN and its partners continued to work together to help Gaza, particularly following Israel’s decision to evacuate the northern half of the territory.
Given the recent shift of about one million Palestinians from the north to the south in reaction to the potential danger of Israeli intervention, Martin Griffiths stressed the need to secure assistance access to Gaza.
He stated two fundamental goals: enabling these displaced people’s safe, voluntary relocation and giving critical assistance to those who stay in Gaza.
The key priority was aid access, with ongoing consultations including Israeli, Egyptian, and Gazan officials. Griffiths expressed confidence that progress will be made on this front.
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Griffiths stated that high-level negotiations were underway to open the Rafah border from Egypt into southern Gaza when asked about the UN’s attempts to ensure assistance access.
He praised US Secretary of State Blinken’s strong participation in the negotiations and mentioned his impending trip to Cairo to meet with Egyptian authorities.
Griffiths emphasized the need for Israeli cooperation and the essential role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has operated in Gaza since the end of World War II.
The 14,000 UNRWA staff members who had not evacuated Gaza and lost several colleagues were cited as critical frontline assistance for the people of Gaza.
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