Charities halt Gaza aid after drone attack kills seven staff

Three Britons among dead after repeated airstrikes on convoy

- Bethan McKernan

The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip seems likely to worsen after charities announced they were suspending operations in the territory in the aftermath of an Israeli drone attack that repeatedly targeted a clearly identified convoy of aid workers, killing seven including three British nationals.

The strikes on a team from World Central Kitchen (WCK) led the charity – along with other aid organisations such as Anera , which assists refugees a cross the Middle East, and the US-based Project Hope , which focuses on healthcare – to announce yesterday that they would pause operations in Gaza to protect their staff .

Calling the decision an “unprecedented step”, Anera said the event, “alongside the loss of numerous other aid workers and their families, has led our team to conclude that delivering aid safely is no longer feasible ”.

It said in a statement: “While we understand the severe consequences this suspension will have on the Palestinian population, the escalating risks associated  with aid delivery leave us with no choice but to halt operations until our staff regain confidence that they can do their work without undue risk .”

Famine is “projected and imminent” in the northern half of Gaza, a UN-backed report said last month . According to Oxfam , the number of people in the Palestinian territory who are now facing “catastrophic levels” of hunger has nearly doubled since December. At least 27 children have died of malnutrition, according to the health ministry in the territory .