United Nations Radio

The UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees -UNRWA says it will have to suspend its food distribution to half of Gaza's 1.5 million people.

This follows Israeli failure to allow emergency supplies into the Palestinian territory. Israel initially said it would allow 30 trucks to deliver supplies to Gaza on Thursday after it completely sealed off the Gaza Strip on November 5, but later said mortar fire by Gaza militants made it impossible to do so.

The head of UNRWA in Gaza John Ging says there are 750,000 Palestinians depending on food distribution.

"So we have quite simply run out because again we haven't been allowed for many months to build up a reserve and that's why we are in such a precarious situation. This evening, our stores are now empty and we won't been able to resume our food distribution until such time as we get a re-supply together."

Ging says the food operation is of such a scale involving thousands upon thousands of tons that it makes the agency vulnerable to any interruption in the pipeline.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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