The occupation targets UNICEF.. Abduction of a Palestinian employee from the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The English-speaking website "Gaza Herald" announced that the Israeli occupation army arrested a Palestinian employee working for a UN organization on Thursday while passing through the "Kerem Shalom" crossing in southern Gaza Strip, despite having an official permit.

The website stated that it obtained information regarding the Israeli army's arrest of a UNICEF employee, Raed Al-Afifi, despite him carrying a United Nations passport and having full Israeli coordination and entry permits.

The website clarified that the occupation forces kidnapped Al-Afifi and have forcibly disappeared him since then, while his family and UN staff have not received any information regarding his whereabouts or health condition.

For its part, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor mentioned that "Israel is targeting UNICEF in Gaza as part of a systematic campaign against international organizations," noting the Israeli army's arrest of UNICEF employee Raed Al-Afifi (45 years old) at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Thursday while he was performing his duties, despite being present at the location with prior coordination.

The monitor explained that the occupation army requested UNICEF to withdraw its trucks and goods from the Kerem Shalom crossing a day before the incident, and then prevented the entry of its aid trucks.

The monitor pointed out that the trucks were carrying medical equipment intended for operating hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, in addition to vaccinations for newborns and nutritional supplements.

It continued that these measures constitute a deliberate obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts and target an organization that is currently one of the most important pillars of humanitarian work in Gaza.

This comes at a time when the occupation authorities are closing the crossings of the Gaza Strip to the movement of Palestinians and foreign and international delegations, except for certain cases that are usually not clarified.

This strict closure began with the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza on October 8, 2023, and lasted for two years, resulting in more than 68,000 martyrs and over 170,000 injured, with destruction affecting 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the strip, with initial losses estimated at around 70 billion dollars.

This war ended with a ceasefire agreement between the occupation and the "Hamas" movement, but Israel violated it dozens of times, resulting, according to official data, in the martyrdom of 211 Palestinians and the injury of 597 others.