Humanitarian operation faces obstacles in Gaza as hostilities continue: UN agency

Humanitarian operation in the Gaza Strip still faces obstacles, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday, urging Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian and commercial supplies through all crossing points.

According to OCHA, hostilities continue in Gaza, with multiple airstrikes on residential buildings reportedly killing entire families.

A high number of fatalities and injuries have been reported among those trying to secure food and other essential supplies for their families, OCHA added.

Despite Israeli announcements regarding the designation of convoy routes as secure, trucks of the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to face long delays, it said.

OCHA further reported that between July 23 and 29, it made 92 attempts to coordinate aid movements with Israeli authorities, of which nearly 16 percent were denied outright, and 26 percent were initially approved but later faced impediments.

Gaza's health authorities said on Thursday that 159 people, including 90 children, had died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza since the conflict broke out in October 2023.

The U.S. dollar strengthened in late trading on Tuesday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, added 0.28 percent to 99.134 at 15:00 (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro fell to 1.1649 U.S. dollars from 1.1672 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound declined to 1.3435 dollars from 1.3466 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 159.11 Japanese yen, higher than 158.14 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 0.8006 Swiss francs from 0.797 Swiss francs, and it climbed to 1.3887 Canadian dollars from 1.3871 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar advanced to 9.2132 Swedish kronor from 9.1693 Swedish kronor.