NEW YORK: The killing of civilians trying to get food and in displacement sites in Gaza shocks United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reported Xinhua.
“The secretary-general is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,“ said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Thursday.
“Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians. The secretary-general strongly condemns the loss of civilian life.”
In just one day this week, Israeli relocation orders forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine or water, said Dujarric.
“With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the secretary-general is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off,“ said the spokesman.
“Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified.”
The spokesman added that the limited humanitarian operations by the UN and partners will also grind to a halt.
The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians safely and at scale wherever they are, said the spokesman.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) for the past month has operated only four militarised distribution sites in all of Gaza -- as opposed to the traditional UN-led 400 community-located aid hubs.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that hundreds of civilians rushing to reach the Israeli-backed GHF sites in militarised zones have been killed or wounded.
“They (GHF) do not meet the most basic standards that anyone should want to meet, which is when you’re trying to help people, you’re not putting them at greater risk,“ Dujarric told a regular press briefing.
OCHA said the space left for civilians to stay in Gaza is “shrinking by the day.”
On Wednesday, Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order for parts of Gaza City, citing Palestinian rocket fire. Humanitarian partners estimate that 40,000 people were in the area, including a displacement site, a medical point, and a neighbourhood that had been spared from any displacement orders since before the ceasefire, said OCHA.
The office said that since mid-March, when a ceasefire ended, more than 50 such orders have been issued. Together with the Israeli-militarised zones, it leaves just 15 per cent of the Gaza Strip where civilians can stay -- fragmented, unsafe areas that are overcrowded and severely lacking in services or proper infrastructure.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that menstruation has become a nightmare for an estimated 700,000 women and girls in Gaza. Alongside food, people need water, soap, menstrual pads and privacy.
UNFPA said it has supplies ready, almost 170 truckloads’ worth, but they are not being allowed into Gaza.
OCHA said that since last Thursday, nine aid workers from five different organisations have been killed, bringing the number of aid workers killed to 107 so far this year and 479 since October 2023, when the Gaza war began. Among them were 326 UN staff.
The office said that during June, out of nearly 400 required coordination requests, Israeli authorities denied 44 per cent outright, while 10 per cent were initially approved but faced impediments, and only a third were fully facilitated. Approximately 12 per cent had to be cancelled by organisers due to logistical, operational or security reasons.
Four out of the 16 coordination attempts requested on Thursday were denied, hindering humanitarian efforts to relocate medical supplies, remove debris, and perform other critical operations, said OCHA.
