UN says no aid that has entered Gaza this week has reached Palestinians

     Deir al-Balah (Gaza), May 21 (AP) The UN said Wednesday it was trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Israeli strikes pounded the territory, killing at least 82 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
     Under international pressure, Israel has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza after blocking all food, medicine, fuel and other material for nearly three months. But the supplies have been sitting on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, and the UN has been unable to bring them in further to distribute.
     UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the majority of supplies that had entered since Monday had been loaded onto UN trucks, but they could not take them out of the crossing area. He said the road that the Israeli military had given them permission to use was too unsafe. Talks were underway for an alternative, he said.
     Food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless the blockade ends. Malnutrition and hunger have been mounting. Aid groups ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, and most of the population of around 2.3 million relies on communal kitchens whose supplies are nearly depleted.
     At a kitchen in Gaza City, a charity group distributed thin and watery lentil soup.
     Somaia Abu Amsha scooped small portions into bowls for her family, saying they have not had bread for over 10 days and she can't afford rice or pasta.
     “We don't want anything other than that they end the war. We don't want charity kitchens. Even dogs wouldn't eat this, let alone children,” she said.
    
     Israeli warning shots shake diplomats in Jenin
    
     Israeli troops fired warning shots as a group of international diplomats was visiting Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said. It said their visit had been approved, but the delegation “deviated from the approved route.”
     Footage showed a number of diplomats giving media interviews as rapid shots ring out nearby, forcing them to run for cover.
     At the time, the delegation of about 20 regional, European and Western diplomats was near the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp being briefed by Palestinian Authority officials about the humanitarian situation, said an aid worker who was present.
     No one was injured, she added, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
     The military said it apologised and will contact the countries involved in the visit.
     Israeli troops have raided Jenin dozens of times as part of a crackdown across the West Bank against militants since Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The fighting displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians, one of the largest West Bank displacements in years. (AP) SCY

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)