UN says Israel evacuation order ‘wiped out’ bid to improve Gaza aid | U.S. & World [Video]

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – An Israeli military evacuation order covering a third of the Gaza Strip has “wiped out” the United Nations’ attempts to improve humanitarian aid deliveries via the Kerem Shalom crossing, a senior U.N. aid official said on Wednesday.

Israel has been critical of U.N.-led aid operations in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where the U.N. says distribution is not only hampered by the nearly nine-month long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, but also lawlessness.

Israel’s military announced this month a daily daytime pause in attacks to facilitate the collection of aid from Kerem Shalom, but the U.N. has said the lawlessness means it is still too dangerous and it is Israel’s responsibility to restore public order and safety in Gaza.

Andrea De Domenico, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that in the past …