Israeli regime forces in the Gaza Strip have intercepted a United Nations ambulance convoy tasked with evacuating critically ill patients from a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younes. Subsequently, they detained and subjected the paramedics in the convoy to strip-searches.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement on Tuesday, detailing the incident which occurred on Sunday. Israeli forces detained a paramedic and compelled others to undress, despite prior coordination for the convoy's movements.

The convoy was evacuating 24 critical patients from al-Amal Hospital in a city under continuous siege by Israeli forces. Among the patients were a pregnant woman and a mother with a newborn.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA, informed reporters in Geneva that Israeli military intervention delayed the convoy for several hours and subsequently forced patients and staff out of ambulances, subjecting all paramedics to undress.

Moreover, OCHA reported another incident where a medical evacuation convoy was obstructed for hours over the weekend before paramedics were detained and strip-searched by Israeli forces.

Israeli forces detained three Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics, despite prior sharing of their personal details. One paramedic was released, but OCHA called for the immediate release of the other two and all other detained health workers in Gaza.

The statement emphasized the unacceptable security conditions faced by UN relief agencies in Gaza and highlighted the systematic denial of aid access to those in need. It condemned the harassment, intimidation, and detention of humanitarian workers by Israeli forces, along with the targeting of humanitarian infrastructure.

These events unfold amidst the ongoing US-Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian crisis with thousands killed, including a significant number of children.