THE UN food agency has said it is pausing the movement of its employees in Gaza “until further notice” after one of its vehicles was hit by gunfire near an Israeli-controlled checkpoint.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening as the vehicle was approaching the Wadi Gaza Bridge checkpoint.

In a statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that although nobody was injured, one vehicle was directly hit even though the convoy was clearly marked and “receiving multiple clearances by Israel”.

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The WFP said: “The team was returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.”

It said one of the WFP vehicles was “directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards” an IDF checkpoint.

“It sustained at least 10 bullets – five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle.

“None of the employees on board were physically harmed,” the WFP said.

The agency added: “The incident is a stark reminder of the rapidly and ever shrinking humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip, where increasing violence compromises our ability to deliver life-saving assistance.”

WFP executive director Cindy McCain meanwhile described the attack as “unacceptable” and said it was “the latest in a series of unnecessary incidents that have endangered the lives” of her team in Gaza.

“As last night’s events show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot go on any longer,” she said.

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The WFP called on Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of all aid workers.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has now resulted in the death of more than 40,000 people, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Elsewhere, on Tuesday evening, under-secretary general for safety and security Gilles Michaud said the IDF had given more than 200 UN personnel a few hours’ notice on Sunday to evacuate their offices and accommodation in a southern area of Deir al-Balah.

The UN had been planning on vaccinating more than 600,000 children after a 10-month-old baby contracted polio.

The IDF said in a statement it had been forced to issue evacuation orders in and around Deir al-Balah to carry out “essential operations” against Hamas “terror operatives” and their infrastructure.

It also said it was co-operating in “full co-ordination with the international community to preserve the activity of the international community’s vital centres, including shelters, aid depots and residences”.