JERUSALEM: The United Nations aid chief assessed the enormous challenge of restoring basic services in the devastated Gaza Strip during his Saturday tour.
Relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team navigated through destroyed neighbourhoods in white UN vehicles to inspect a damaged wastewater treatment plant.
“I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation, this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland, and it’s absolutely devastating to see,“ he told AFP.
Gaza’s densely populated urban areas have been transformed into ruins after two years of intense bombardment and fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.
Hundreds of aid trucks now enter daily through Israeli checkpoints despite the main Egyptian border crossing remaining closed.
Hamas has returned all 20 surviving hostages and begun handing over remains of 28 others who died in captivity.
The group transferred the body of 75-year-old Eliyahu Margalit on Friday night after he died during Hamas’s October 2023 attack.
Israel reciprocated by returning 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Saturday according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Fletcher described the reconstruction task facing UN agencies as a massive undertaking after viewing the damaged sewage facility.
He reported meeting residents digging latrines in rubble who expressed their desire for dignity above all else.
The UN has developed a 60-day emergency plan to provide food, restore health services, and establish temporary shelters.
This comprehensive response includes distributing one million daily meals and creating temporary schools for hundreds of thousands of children.
Approximately 950 trucks carrying aid and commercial supplies entered Gaza from Israel on Thursday alone.
Humanitarian organizations continue pushing for the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to reopen for faster aid delivery.
Turkish rescue specialists remain stationed at the border waiting to assist with body recovery operations.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported recovering nine Palestinian bodies from the Shaaban family after an Israeli shooting incident.
Israeli military authorities stated troops fired on a vehicle that approached their withdrawal line despite warning shots.
The military emphasized this action followed ceasefire protocols to address imminent threats to soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure to limit Gaza access until all hostage remains return.
His office confirmed the identification of Margalit, remembered as a passionate farmer and horse caretaker.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Margalit as having been kidnapped while feeding his horses.
Netanyahu’s office reiterated Israel’s commitment to recovering all fallen abductees without exception.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem affirmed the group’s continued adherence to the ceasefire agreement.
The truce agreement requires Hamas to return all surviving hostages and the remains of deceased captives. – AFP
