The UN food agency said it would suspend staff movements in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after its team was attacked near an Israeli checkpoint.
In a statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) said the incident occurred at the Wadi Gaza bridge on Tuesday evening as two of its armoured vehicles were escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid.
While no one was injured, one vehicle was hit directly by gunfire, the WFP said, despite the convoy being clearly marked and having “repeatedly received approval from Israel”.
The BBC has contacted the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the matter.
“The team was returning from a mission in Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem in two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a humanitarian convoy to central Gaza,” WFP said in a statement on Wednesday.
One of the WFP vehicles was then “hit directly by gunfire while moving toward” an IDF checkpoint, the report said.
“The vehicle was hit by at least 10 bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three in other parts of the vehicle. None of the personnel in the vehicle were physically injured.”
WFP added that while this was not the first security incident during the war, it was the first time their vehicle had come under direct fire near a checkpoint, despite having the necessary clearance.
“This incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where escalating violence is impacting our ability to provide life-saving assistance,” the agency said.
CEO Cindy McCain described the incident as “completely unacceptable”.
“I call on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to take immediate action to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza,” she added.
Earlier, the United Nations said humanitarian aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip were continuing, after a senior official said they had been halted on Monday due to an Israeli military evacuation order.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday evening that conditions “make it extremely, extremely difficult for us to do our job”, but “we are doing what we can with what we have”.
On Sunday, UN staff were forced to evacuate quickly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone around the central town of Deir al-Balah, where the UN has its main operations centre.
The military said it was acting to protect civilians while operating against Hamas “terrorist militants” in the area.
They also said they are working with the United Nations and other international organizations to find alternative locations where they can continue operations.
According to the United Nations, the main provider and distributor of humanitarian aid in the territory, up to 88.5% of Gaza has been under evacuation orders since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.
That has forced some 1.8 million people to take shelter inside the humanitarian zone, which is now just 41 square kilometres (15.8 square miles) and lacks vital infrastructure and basic services.
The Israeli military launched an operation in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
More than 40,500 people have died in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
On Tuesday evening, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud said the IDF had given more than 200 UN staff hours’ notice on Sunday to move out of their offices and residences in the southern Deir al-Balah area.
The UN humanitarian office said the order affected 15 UN and NGO facilities, as well as four UN warehouses, a seawater desalination plant and al-Aqsa Hospital, the town’s main medical facility.
“The timing could hardly be worse, with a large-scale polio vaccination campaign scheduled to begin next week, and a large number of staff will have to go into the area,” said Mr Michaud.
The United Nations is planning to vaccinate 640,000 children after a 10-month-old baby was left partially paralyzed by the waterborne disease – the first case recorded in Gaza in 25 years.
The organization has called on the warring parties to implement two seven-day humanitarian pauses to allow vaccinations to be carried out successfully.
In a statement on Wednesday, the IDF said it was forced to issue an evacuation order in and around Deir al-Balah to carry out “necessary operations” against Hamas’ “terrorist campaigns” and their infrastructure.
The report also stressed that they are working “in full coordination with the international community to maintain the operations of key international community centres, including shelters, relief warehouses and housing”.
“However, given the brutal exploitation by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, it is sometimes necessary to evacuate these centers.”
The IDF said it will act to assist in finding alternative locations for UN agencies and NGOs to continue operations and provide alternative aid routes.
Also in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday, local doctors said at least eight Palestinians were killed in an airstrike near a school housing displaced people in the town.
Another 11 people were reported killed in air strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli tanks are said to have advanced into the city centre.
