The UN may discontinue its aid efforts in Gaza if Israel does not better protect aid workers in the area. This is according to two UN officials speaking to the news agency AP.
The officials say that the UN has "warned" Israel that aid efforts may be withdrawn if the security situation does not improve.
The demands come after several high-profile attacks on aid personnel in Gaza, and the UN reports that more than 250 aid workers have been killed in the area since the war broke out in October.
In a letter sent to Israeli authorities earlier in June, Israel is urged to, among other things, make it possible for UN workers to communicate directly with Israeli forces to avoid attacks. A direct communication channel with the Israeli defence forces has long been requested by several organisations.
The UN has repeatedly demanded that Israel do more to protect aid workers in Gaza, but no decision to discontinue aid efforts has yet been made, according to the UN officials, who have chosen to remain anonymous.
The situation for aid workers in Gaza is considered to have deteriorated as a result of Israel's offensive in Rafah, where several aid organisations based their operations. At the same time, the organisations have been subjected to an increasing number of thefts and robberies.
On Tuesday, reports emerged that a 33-year-old doctor working on behalf of Doctors Without Borders was killed in yet another attack in Gaza, according to the news agency NTB.
