Ahlulbayt News Agency: The United Nations warns on Friday, “many more will die” as a result of Israel’s ongoing “total blockade” of the Gaza Strip, saying basic services in the Palestinian territory are “crumbling”.
“People in Gaza are dying – they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of [the] siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Al-Jazeera reported.
“Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage,” he added.
He said that hunger and disease are rapidly becoming a major issue in Gaza and said more aid was urgently needed in the enclave.
Lazzarini said current aid levels were “nothing more than crumbs”, and would make little difference for the more than 2 million people living in Gaza.
“Over the last week, I followed closely the focus about the number of trucks entering Gaza. Many of us saw in these trucks a glimmer of hope. This is, however, becoming a distraction”, Lazzarini said , adding, “These show trucks are nothing more than crumbs that would not make a difference for the 2 million people [of Gaza].”
In addition to living in fear of Israeli airstrikes, Lazzarini said the people of Gaza were now facing the growing threat of hunger and disease.
“Food and water are running out. The streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage," he said. "Gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard as the risks of diseases are looming,” he explained.
“The last remaining public services are collapsing, our aid operation is crumbling and for the first time ever, [our staff] report that people are now hungry,” he added.
Aid efforts thus far had been woefully insufficient, he said.
"We should avoid conveying the message that few trucks a day means the siege is lifted for humanitarian aid. This is not true,” he said, adding, “The current system in place is geared to fail. What is needed is meaningful and non-interrupted aid flow.”
“The siege means that food, water and fuel – basic commodities – are being used to collectively punish more than 2 million people among them a majority of children and women,” he added.
The head of UNRWA also criticized the questioning of where aid would end up if allowed into Gaza.
“It pains me that humanitarian aid, a very basic right for people, is constantly questioned while at the same time, despair is live-streamed under our watch,” he said, explaining that UNRWA has very strict mechanisms in place.
“All our vendors and partners are vetted against the sanctions list. We give aid to those who need it most. Our convoys and their routes are notified and deconflicted," he said.
“UNRWA does not and will not divert any humanitarian aid into the wrong hands,” he vowed, addressing Israel’s complaints that transfers into Gaza are often diverted by Hamas and put to military use.
Lazzarini reiterated his call for fuel to be allowed into Gaza so that basic services – bakeries, the water plant, hospitals – could continue to operate and so that UNRWA could continue its work.
“Over the last few days, UNRWA has drastically limited its consumption of fuel. This came at a cost. Our team had to make tough decisions that no humanitarian worker should do,” he said without detailing what those decisions had been.
“A few days ago, I warned that we will not be able to continue our humanitarian operations if we do not get fuel supply. My warning still stands,” he said.
Lazzarini also lamented deaths among UNRWA staff. According to the UNRWA Commissioner-General, 57 of the organization’s workers in Gaza have died since the war between Israel and Hamas started.
"They are mothers and fathers. Wonderful people who are dedicated their life to their communities. If they were not in Gaza, they could have been your neighbour," he said, adding, "One colleague died while on his way to pick up bread from a bakery. He left six children behind."
Israel “clearly” opposes the delivery of humanitarian aid to Northern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped during incessant bombing.
“The government of Israel has been clear that they don’t want us delivering [aid] in the North,” Lynn Hastings, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Palestine, said.
“So our staff will have to assume certain security risks if we determine the assistance that we have to be lifesaving and needs to be delivered,” Hastings said.
“I’ve said it before that over a million people cannot just pick up and move to the South where there have been repeated bombings. There is no service delivery, there is no shelter there. We need to be able to deliver [assistance] to those people and we need to be able to deliver assistance to wherever people are in need,” she added.
Abeer Etefa, a World Food Programme spokesperson said, “Gaza is struggling with a lack of basic supplies. Food and water are running out. People are facing increasingly desperate conditions,” adding, “Outside Gaza, conditions in the West Bank are decreasing every day.”
The World Health Organization also said it has received estimates that the bodies of at least 1,000 unidentified people who have not yet been included in death tolls are still buried under the rubble in Gaza.
“We also get these estimates that there are still 1,000 plus people under the rubble which have not been identified yet,” Richard Peeperkorn, the UN health agency’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in response to a question about the death toll in Gaza. He did not elaborate.
According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 7,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardments in the past three weeks.
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“People in Gaza are dying – they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of [the] siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Al-Jazeera reported.
“Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage,” he added.
He said that hunger and disease are rapidly becoming a major issue in Gaza and said more aid was urgently needed in the enclave.
Lazzarini said current aid levels were “nothing more than crumbs”, and would make little difference for the more than 2 million people living in Gaza.
“Over the last week, I followed closely the focus about the number of trucks entering Gaza. Many of us saw in these trucks a glimmer of hope. This is, however, becoming a distraction”, Lazzarini said , adding, “These show trucks are nothing more than crumbs that would not make a difference for the 2 million people [of Gaza].”
In addition to living in fear of Israeli airstrikes, Lazzarini said the people of Gaza were now facing the growing threat of hunger and disease.
“Food and water are running out. The streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage," he said. "Gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard as the risks of diseases are looming,” he explained.
“The last remaining public services are collapsing, our aid operation is crumbling and for the first time ever, [our staff] report that people are now hungry,” he added.
Aid efforts thus far had been woefully insufficient, he said.
"We should avoid conveying the message that few trucks a day means the siege is lifted for humanitarian aid. This is not true,” he said, adding, “The current system in place is geared to fail. What is needed is meaningful and non-interrupted aid flow.”
“The siege means that food, water and fuel – basic commodities – are being used to collectively punish more than 2 million people among them a majority of children and women,” he added.
The head of UNRWA also criticized the questioning of where aid would end up if allowed into Gaza.
“It pains me that humanitarian aid, a very basic right for people, is constantly questioned while at the same time, despair is live-streamed under our watch,” he said, explaining that UNRWA has very strict mechanisms in place.
“All our vendors and partners are vetted against the sanctions list. We give aid to those who need it most. Our convoys and their routes are notified and deconflicted," he said.
“UNRWA does not and will not divert any humanitarian aid into the wrong hands,” he vowed, addressing Israel’s complaints that transfers into Gaza are often diverted by Hamas and put to military use.
Lazzarini reiterated his call for fuel to be allowed into Gaza so that basic services – bakeries, the water plant, hospitals – could continue to operate and so that UNRWA could continue its work.
“Over the last few days, UNRWA has drastically limited its consumption of fuel. This came at a cost. Our team had to make tough decisions that no humanitarian worker should do,” he said without detailing what those decisions had been.
“A few days ago, I warned that we will not be able to continue our humanitarian operations if we do not get fuel supply. My warning still stands,” he said.
Lazzarini also lamented deaths among UNRWA staff. According to the UNRWA Commissioner-General, 57 of the organization’s workers in Gaza have died since the war between Israel and Hamas started.
"They are mothers and fathers. Wonderful people who are dedicated their life to their communities. If they were not in Gaza, they could have been your neighbour," he said, adding, "One colleague died while on his way to pick up bread from a bakery. He left six children behind."
Israel “clearly” opposes the delivery of humanitarian aid to Northern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped during incessant bombing.
“The government of Israel has been clear that they don’t want us delivering [aid] in the North,” Lynn Hastings, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Palestine, said.
“So our staff will have to assume certain security risks if we determine the assistance that we have to be lifesaving and needs to be delivered,” Hastings said.
“I’ve said it before that over a million people cannot just pick up and move to the South where there have been repeated bombings. There is no service delivery, there is no shelter there. We need to be able to deliver [assistance] to those people and we need to be able to deliver assistance to wherever people are in need,” she added.
Abeer Etefa, a World Food Programme spokesperson said, “Gaza is struggling with a lack of basic supplies. Food and water are running out. People are facing increasingly desperate conditions,” adding, “Outside Gaza, conditions in the West Bank are decreasing every day.”
The World Health Organization also said it has received estimates that the bodies of at least 1,000 unidentified people who have not yet been included in death tolls are still buried under the rubble in Gaza.
“We also get these estimates that there are still 1,000 plus people under the rubble which have not been identified yet,” Richard Peeperkorn, the UN health agency’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in response to a question about the death toll in Gaza. He did not elaborate.
According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 7,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardments in the past three weeks.
/129