World Bulletin / News Desk

Israel has turned back a delegation of six Belgian MPs entry into the blockaded Gaza Strip to visit local NGOs on Wednesday this week.

The delegation, which represents several different political parties in Belgium, said in a statement on Wednesday that they had arranged the visit for the day before with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

They had hoped to meet with civil society organizations and take field tours across the beleaguered enclave at the request of the Belgian parliament

After being denied, the MPs criticised the “illegal” Israel measure and said it contravened international conventions. They also suggested that Israel might be attempting “to hide something,” and said they had informed the Belgian government of “the unacceptable situation.”

“Israel has no right to act in such way which violates international conventions,” the MPs said in their statement.

Earlier this year, Belgium pledged €2.45 million ($2.6 million) to UNRWA “in support of the agency’s services for Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

source: Palestine News Network