The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has announced that it is suspending the movements of its staff in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” after its team came under fire near an Israeli checkpoint.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening at the Wadi Gaza Bridge when two of its armoured vehicles were escorting a truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid.

The WFP said that while no one was injured, one vehicle was directly hit, even though the convoy was clearly marked and had “received multiple clearances from Israel.”

The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the matter.

In Wednesday’s statement, the WFP said: “The team was returning from a mission in Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem in two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid towards central Gaza.”

It said one of the WFP vehicles was “directly hit by gunfire as it headed toward an IDF checkpoint.”

“It was hit by at least ten bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three elsewhere on the vehicle. None of the personnel on board were physically injured.”

The WFP added that while this was not the first security incident during the war, it was the first time its vehicle had been directly fired upon near a checkpoint despite obtaining the necessary permits.

“The incident is a stark reminder that the humanitarian space in Gaza is shrinking at an ever-increasing rate and increasing violence is affecting our ability to deliver life-saving assistance,” the agency said.

CEO Cindy McCain described the incident as “completely unacceptable.”

“I call on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to act immediately to ensure the safety of all aid workers in the Gaza Strip,” she added.

The UN had previously said its humanitarian aid operation in the Gaza Strip would continue after a senior UN official said it had stalled on Monday due to evacuation orders from the Israeli military.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday evening that the conditions had made it “extremely, extremely difficult for us to do our job” but “we are doing what we can with what we have.”

On Sunday, UN staff were forced to move quickly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for part of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone around the central town of Deir al-Balah, where the UN’s main operations center was located.

The military said it had acted to protect civilians in its operations against Hamas “terrorists” in the region.

The company also said it was working with the United Nations and other international organizations to find alternative locations to continue its operations.

According to the UN, which is the main provider and distributor of humanitarian aid in the area, evacuation orders have been issued for up to 88.5 percent of the Gaza Strip since the war between Israel and Hamas began.

An estimated 1.8 million people are therefore forced to seek protection in the humanitarian zone, which currently covers only 41 square kilometers and has neither the necessary infrastructure nor basic services.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 40,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since then.

On Tuesday evening, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Gilles Michaud said Israeli forces had given more than 200 UN personnel several hours’ notice on Sunday to force them to leave their offices and quarters in the southern part of Deir al-Balah.

The UN humanitarian office said the order affected 15 UN and NGO buildings, as well as four UN warehouses, a water desalination plant and Al-Aqsa Hospital, the city’s main medical facility.

“The timing could hardly be worse, as a large-scale polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin next week, which will require a large number of staff to travel to the Gaza Strip,” Michaud said.

The UN plans to vaccinate 640,000 children after a 10-month-old baby was left partially paralyzed after contracting the water-borne disease, the first recorded case in Gaza in 25 years.

She called on the warring parties to take two seven-day humanitarian pauses to enable the vaccinations to be carried out successfully.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that it had been forced to issue evacuation orders for Deir al-Balah and the surrounding area in order to carry out “essential operations” against Hamas “terrorists” and their infrastructure.

It was also stressed that action was being taken “in full coordination with the international community” to “maintain the activities of the vital centres of the international community, including emergency shelters, aid depots and dormitories”.

“However, given the cynical exploitation by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, there is sometimes a need to evacuate these centers.”

The Israel Defense Forces said they would take measures to help find alternative locations for UN agencies and NGOs so they could continue their activities and provide alternative aid routes.

Also in Deir al-Balah, local medics said on Wednesday that at least eight Palestinians were killed in an airstrike near a school housing displaced people.

Another 11 people were reportedly killed in attacks in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israeli tanks are said to have advanced into the city center.