Gaza, Dec 1 (IANS): The UN agency for Palestine refugees decided on Sunday to pause aid delivery through the Kerem Shalom crossing, a main entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, citing ongoing safety concerns along the route.

On November 16, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs, and on Saturday, a few food trucks were also taken, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on social media platform X.

"The responsibility to protect aid workers and supplies lies with the State of Israel as the occupying power. They must ensure aid flows into Gaza safely," it added.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated on X that this difficult decision comes at a time when hunger is rapidly deepening in Gaza. "The delivery of humanitarian aid must never be dangerous or turn into an ordeal," Lazzarini said.

In Gaza, the humanitarian operation has become unnecessarily impossible due to "the ongoing siege, hurdles from Israeli authorities, political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid, lack of safety on aid routes and targeting of local police," he further explained.

A UN convoy of 109 trucks carrying food supplies was "violently looted" on November 16 after entering Gaza, with 97 trucks in total lost and drivers forced at gunpoint to unload aid, according to the UNRWA, Xinhua news agency reported.

On November 18, Hamas said 20 people were killed in a security operation east of Rafah, southern Gaza, which targeted gangs accused of looting aid trucks entering Gaza.