Israeli authorities' restrictions and closures reduced the overall volume of critical aid the United Nations and its partners brought into Gaza in June, UN humanitarians said Monday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the amount of aid that relief organizations and the private sector can bring into Gaza to meet people's immense needs is limited because all crossings except Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem remain closed to cargo currently.
Meanwhile, restrictions on specific types of supplies remain, the office added.
OCHA said that over the weekend the world body continued to collect food and fuel from the only open crossing. But data showed the overall volume of supplies brought into Gaza in June was more than 4,600 pallets fewer than the 46,600 pallets allowed in May.
Last week, only 42 percent of the supplies from Egypt and 65 percent of the supplies from Ashdod port, already approved in principle, could be offloaded at Kerem Shalom, OCHA said.
In other related developments, concerns continue over the safety and well-being of people, especially children in the West Bank, said OCHA.
On Sunday, Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old in Qalandiya Camp near Jerusalem, and shot two other children in the lower limbs, the office said.
In Ramallah governorate, a four-month-old baby died after Israeli forces refused to open a gate blocking the main entrance to his village while an ambulance waited for him on the other side, the UN Human Rights Office said.
Restrictions, closures reduce June aid volume to Gaza: UN
Restrictions, closures reduce June aid volume to Gaza: UN
Now a quiet retiree, Wang Yuchang, a recipient of the July 1 Medal, has led a life dedicated to military service, operating in secrecy and carrying out missions few ever knew existed.
Wang was among eight recipients of the July 1 Medal, the highest honorary medal of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), personally conferred by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping at a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Wednesday.
Over 60 years ago, Wang was decorated with a first-class merit. However, he has kept the award in silence all these years.
"The military said it was top secret — never to be disclosed. So I locked these certificates away for decades," said Wang during an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Xiaoxian County of east China's Anhui Province.
Born in 1936 into a farming family in Xiaoxian County, Wang grew up in hardship. At 18, he joined the military and enlisted in the Air Force. In 1958, he was selected for a newly formed, highly classified unit — the ground-to-air missile force.
Then came a challenging mission, as a new threat had entered Chinese airspace in the form of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The U-2 was a fast, high-flying plane that was nearly impossible to intercept at the time.
Wang and his unit were given a single order to find the aircraft and stop them. With no experience to rely on, they trained repeatedly until precision became instinct.
They moved across more than ten provinces, covering over 20,000 kilometers, chasing a target that often seemed invisible.
In November 1963, and again in July 1964, two U-2 aircraft entered the kill zone. Using a tactic that would become known as a "close-range rapid strike", Wang and his comrades struck with precision, downing both targets.
"When the aircraft was hit and began to fall, everyone — whether we knew each other or not — cheered and clapped. It was overwhelming," Wang recalled.
For his contributions in air defense operations, Wang earned first-class merit and was promoted ahead of schedule. It was also during this period that he officially joined the CPC.
In 1973, after 19 years in uniform, Wang left the military and returned to civilian life as an ordinary retail counter clerk, though he always remained ready to serve his country.
"If the Party needs me, I do it. I'm like a brick — wherever the Party tells me to go, I go," said Wang.
For 45 years, he never spoke of his battlefield past. It was only in 2018, during China's nationwide veterans' registration program, that his hidden history was finally revealed.
Retired soldier honored for serving in missions kept secret for 60 years
