Tag: Humanitarian aid

“Right now, parents in Gaza do not know whether they can feed their children today and whether they will even survive to see tomorrow. The suffering just meters away is unfathomable standing on this side of the border,” said Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

“Today, I’m making an urgent plea for the millions of people whose lives are being torn apart by this crisis,” she added.

Aid ‘nowhere near enough’

For the past few weeks, entry points into Gaza have been virtually sealed except through the Rafah border crossing point. While there has been a steady increase in aid entering Gaza, it is nowhere near enough to meet the exponentially growing needs, according to the UN agency.

The WFP head is concluding a two-day visit to Egypt, during which she met with top Government officials, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and visited the Egyptian Red Crescent’s humanitarian staging hub in Al Arish.

“We appreciate all efforts to facilitate a steady flow of humanitarian supplies through its border with Gaza, and the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent is remarkable. We need to continue to work together to get safe and sustained access to Gaza at a scale that aligns with the catastrophic conditions facing families there,” Ms. McCain said.

‘Not just a local tragedy’

Ms. McCain further highlighted that the crisis in Gaza is “not just a local tragedy, it is a stark reminder that our global food crisis is worsening”.

“Not only does this crisis threaten regional peace and stability, it undermines our collective efforts to combat hunger worldwide,” she said.

WFP is scaling up to reach more than one million people with urgent food assistance in the next few weeks, and since 7 October, provided food and cash assistance to more than 650,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank.

It is also distributing fresh bread, date bars, and canned food to families in UN shelters every day, and food parcels to displaced families in host communities. It is also providing cash-based transfers to people residing in communities so they can buy the food available in shops that are still open.

According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, 8,805 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, including at least 3,648 children and 2,187 women, and some 22,240 have been injured, UN humanitarian coordination affairs office OCHA said.

Strikes on Jabalia Refugee Camp

OCHA stressed that as Israeli ground operations and bombardments in northern Gaza continued, “among the deadliest incidents” were heavy airstrikes hitting Jabalia Refugee Camp on Wednesday “for the second day in a row and within less than 24 hours”. The strikes reportedly destroyed multiple residential buildings and killed “dozens”, OCHA said.

The UN human rights office OHCHR noted on Wednesday that given the high number of civilian deaths and injuries in Gaza “and the scale of the destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.”

Dozens of cancer patients could die

Meanwhile, in a blow to scores of chronically ill patients, Gaza’s main cancer treatment centre, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, ran out of fuel and was forced to stop most of its activities. The lives of some 70 patients are in danger, OCHA wrote on social platform X on Thursday.

OCHA also sounded the alarm over reports that the Al Hilo Hospital, also in Gaza city, was reportedly struck by shelling Wednesday night. “The hospital had absorbed and replaced Shifa hospital’s maternity ward, which is being used now to treat the wounded,” OCHA said.

Currently, 14 out of 35 hospitals across Gaza are not functioning.

No aid deliveries to the north

Gaza city and northern Gaza have been “largely cut off” from the rest of the strip as a result of the Israeli ground operations and related clashes with Palestinian armed groups, OCHA said.

This means that the delivery of humanitarian aid from the south to some 300,000 internally displaced persons in the north has “come to a halt”.

OCHA reported that on Wednesday ten trucks carrying water, food and medicines entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on the enclave’s southern border with Egypt, bringing the total number of aid trucks allowed in since 21 October to 227.

UN relief chief Martin Griffiths, who just completed a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that “the trucks which have crossed into Gaza so far following painstaking negotiations offer some relief but are nowhere near enough”.

The entry of fuel essential for hospitals, ambulances and water desalination plants remains banned by the Israeli authorities.

More to follow…

“We have been working with Egypt’s Health Ministry on planning for medical evacuations and will continue to support,” said the World Health Organization (WHO) head.

WHO said that 81 people had managed to cross into Egypt for treatment.

His comments came amid reports that the Rafah passenger terminal between Egypt and Gaza had been allowed to open on an exceptional basis Wednesday morning for the first time since 7 October, to allow the departure from the enclave of some wounded Palestinians as well as foreigners and dual nationals.

The Rafah crossing is the only entry point not controlled by Israel, which imposed a blockade on the enclave in 2007 after Hamas militants seized control of the Gaza Strip.

‘Far greater needs’

Tedros warned on social platform X that “attention must not be diverted from the far greater needs of thousands of patients in Gaza” and reiterated calls for the protection of hospitals as well as an “immediate acceleration” in the flow of medical aid into the Strip.

Tuesday saw the entry into Gaza of the largest convoy since delivery of aid via Rafah resumed on 21 October, composed of 59 trucks carrying water, food and medicines, according to the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA).

However, the entry of fuel, “desperately needed to operate life-saving equipment”, remains banned, OCHA said.

In a statement just released via X, WHO said those in serious need within Gaza include thousands of seriously injured civilians (many of them children); more than 1,000 people who need kidney dialysis to stay alive; more than 2,000 needing cancer therapy; 45,000 people with cardiovascular diseases; and more than 60,000 people with diabetes.

‘Sustained access’

“These patients must be able to have sustained access to health care inside Gaza. Hospitals and other health facilities must be protected from bombardment and military use.”

The agency said before 7 October 2023, around 100 patients each day needed to access specialized health care services outside the Gaza Strip because of the lack of needed, specialized health services inside Gaza.

“WHO calls for urgent, accelerated access for humanitarian aid, including fuel, water, food and medical supplies”.

UN chief António Guterres stressed on Tuesday that the volume of aid entering was not commensurate with the sheer number of civilians trapped in the enclave amidst the intensifying fighting.

Shelters ‘four times over capacity’

More than 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced with over 689,000 sheltering in 150 facilities of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).

OCHA said that in recent days, tens of thousands of displaced people, who were previously staying with host families, have relocated into public shelters, seeking food and basic services.

The UNRWA shelters are now nearly four times over their intended capacity, OCHA warned.

Condition of hostages unknown

WHO chief Tedros said on Wednesday in a social media post that the agency continues to be gravely concerned about the condition of the 240 hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on 7 October – “particularly the children, women, older people and those with health conditions who need immediate medical attention”. He reiterated calls for their immediate release.

‘Horrific toll’ on journalists

OCHA noted that the Israeli ground operation in northern Gaza and the outskirts of Gaza city has been gaining in intensity, alongside continuing bombardments.

Israeli airstrikes were reported on Tuesday on the densely populated Jabaliya neighbourhood north of Gaza City on Tuesday, which hosts the enclave’s largest refugee camp, home to some 116,000 people.

Addressing the issue of threats to journalists worldwide, UN chief António Guterres wrote on social platform X on Wednesday that the conflict in the Middle East is taking a “horrific toll” on them and called for better safeguards to “defend the journalists who are keeping us informed”.

UN human rights office OHCHRexpressed concern on Tuesday about reports of Palestinian journalists killed under Israeli bombardment and reiterated that journalists are civilians and should not be targeted, while military personnel targeting them, must be held to account.

‘This is a global crisis’: UN relief chief

The war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza has created a “global crisis” which demands international action before it spreads “far beyond the region” said the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in a statement on Wednesday.

“This cannot go on. We need a step change”, added Martin Griffiths.

We need the hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally. We need to be able to provide the essentials for survival – particularly water, food, medicine and fuel – safely, immediately and at scale. The more than 200 trucks which have crossed into Gaza so far following painstaking negotiations offer some relief but are nowhere near enough.”

He said pauses must be agreed as the “only viable option to get relief items into Gaza right now.”

Israel, Hamas and other militants need to “respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by taking constant care in the conduct of military operations to spare civilians and civilian objects.”

Those international players with influence must use their diplomatic muscle to ensure respect for the rules of war to protect civilian life and “deescalate the conflict and avoid a spillover.”

More to come…

Israeli settler violence has increased significantly, from an already high average of three incidents per day in 2023 to seven a day now, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA).

During this period, OCHA recorded 171 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in 26 different casualty incidents, damage to 115 Palestinian properties, and some 30 reported incidents of both property damage and casualties.

Cases of harassment, trespass and intimidation are not included in the reporting, although they too increase the pressure on Palestinians to leave their land, the Office noted.

An increasing number of Israeli settlers have moved onto West Bank land, occupied by Israel since 1967, undermining a potential two-State solution to the long running conflict, where two States live peacefully side by side.

Access restrictions

Access restrictions, typically imposed by the Israeli authorities, have also intensified throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These are particularly severe in areas near Israeli settlements and in the so called “Seam Zone”; the Palestinian area isolated by Israel’s 712-kilometre-long barrier in the West Bank.

Settlers too have imposed movement restrictions, OCHA said, blocking access roads to Palestinian communities, limiting their access to essential services and livelihoods. In some cases, settlers have also damaged water resources which herding communities rely on.

Humanitarian assistance services, including health and education, has also had to stop since the restrictions intensified, OCHA added.

Use of firearms

The Office also noted the use of firearms to intimidate Palestinians, with more than one in every three settler-related incidents since 7 October involving settlers using firearms to threaten Palestinians, including by opening fire.

On 12 October, eight households, comprising 51 people, were displaced from the Shihda WaHamlan herding community in Nablus in northern West Bank, after settlers threatened them at gunpoint, saying they would kill them and set their tents on fire during the night, according to OCHA.

‘Active support’ of Israeli forces

It added that in almost half the cases, Israeli security forces “accompanied or actively supported” the attackers.

Many of the latter incidents were followed by confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians, where three Palestinians were killed, and dozens injured. Eight Palestinians were killed by settlers directly, as of the end of October, the Office noted.

Damage or destruction was caused to 24 residential structures, 40 structures used for farming, 67 vehicles and more than 400 trees and saplings.

Secretary-General António Guterres also reiterated his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” between Israeli forces and militants from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and other militant groups.

Consistent flow of aid essential

In a statement, Mr. Guterres said depriving Gaza’s people basic supplies was only “compounding the human tragedy” of the conflict, calling for unimpeded humanitarian access “to be granted consistently, safely and to scale in order to meet the urgent needs created by the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.”

He said he was deeply alarmed” by the intensifying violence, including the expansion of ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces accompanied by further intense air strikes, and the continued rocket fire towards Israel from Gaza.

“Civilians have borne the brunt of the current fighting from the outset. Protection of civilians on both sides is paramount and must be respected at all times”, he said.

The Hamas-run Ministry of Health reports that over 8,300 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, including 3,547 children, 2,136 women and 480 elderly persons.

Latest figures released by the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) which has around 13,000 staff working in Gaza, put the extent of the humanitarian crisis into stark relief.

670,000 internally displaced are sheltering in 150 UNRWA installations.

“The situation in shelters remains critical with very limited assistance available and no additional space”, said the agency, with healthcare dwindling and protection risks rising.

UNRWA deaths mount

Furthermore, UNRWA itself lost a further three staff members in the ongoing airstrikes during the past 24 hours – killed in their houses along with their families, according to agency.

This brings the death toll to 67. Last night, UNRWA chief Phillipe Lazzarini said one of those lost just hours before the Security Council met on the crisis in New York, was Samir, head of security and safety for the middle region of Gaza – killed along with his wife and eight children.

“I mourn and honour the United Nations colleagues who have tragically been killed in the bombardment of Gaza over the past three weeks”, said the Secretary-General. “My heart goes out to the families of our colleagues who lost their lives in service.”

UN News on Tuesday managed to get through to UNRWA Spokesperson in Gaza, Adnan Abu Hasan, who described in vivid detail the difficulty and danger being faced by colleagues attempting to keep limited aid flowing to those in desperate need.

Some of his own family members have been injured as airstrikes continue, driving home the reality that nowhere is safe for civilians aid workers there:

Unconditional release of hostages

The UN chief repeated his “utter condemnation of the acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas” on 7 October.

“There is never any justification for the killing, injuring and abduction of civilians. I appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of those civilians held hostage by Hamas”, he said.

Mr. Guterres stressed again that international humanitarian law “establishes clear rules that cannot be ignored. It is not an a la carte menu and cannot be applied selectively.”

All parties must abide by the rules, “including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution.”

Looking to the dangers of spillover across borders into Lebanon and Syria, the UN chief said he remained “deeply concerned about the risk of a dangerous escalation”, urging all leaders in the region to exercise utmost restraint.

The vicinities of Shifa and Al Quds hospitals in Gaza city and of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, have been bombarded over the weekend, UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said.

“This followed renewed calls by the Israeli military to evacuate these facilities immediately,” OCHA added.

Relief chief: Protect civilians ‘wherever they are’

“Palestinian and Israeli civilians have suffered enough”, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths wrote on social platform X on Monday. He revealed that he is in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and “will be discussing with the leadership of both parties how we can ramp up the humanitarian response”.

“My plea to all parties is: free the hostages. Protect civilians, wherever they are. Allow the delivery of aid swiftly, safely and at scale. Respect international humanitarian law,” he wrote.

Evacuation remains ‘impossible’

According to OCHA, some 117,000 displaced people are sheltering in the 10 hospitals still operational in Gaza city and elsewhere in northern Gaza, which have received “repeated evacuation orders” in recent days.

UN health agency WHO reiterated overnight on social platform X that “evacuation of hospitals is impossible without endangering patients’ lives”.

Humanitarians keep working

Emergency C-sections are being performed without anaesthesia amid shortages of medical supplies and power, and doctors are sometimes left delivering the premature babies of dying mothers, UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA said, citing harrowing testimony from Shifa Hospital staff.

The UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Monday that its aid workers in Gaza “keep going”, providing assistance to over 600,000 people who have sought safety in UN Palestine refugee relief organisation (UNRWA) shelters, now more than three times over capacity.

“They are the face of humanity during one of its darkest hours,” UNRWA said.

The agency held a memorial service on Sunday for 59 of its personnel killed in the conflict so far and UN chief António Guterres stressed his “gratitude, solidarity and full support” to colleagues working to save lives in Gaza while risking their own.

Death toll keeps rising

As of Sunday evening the death toll in Gaza since 7 October passed the 8,000 mark, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.

OCHA also said that Palestinian armed groups’ indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli cities and towns continued over the past 24 hours, with no fatalities reported.

According to the Israeli authorities, 239 Israelis and foreign nationals, including some 30 children, remain captive in Gaza and 40 people are still reported missing following Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on 7 October which killed 1,400 people.

The UN has repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. Mr. Guterres repeated on Sunday that “there is no justification, ever, for the killing, injuring and abduction of civilians”.

Listen to a UN News interview from 25 October with a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official from last week on the challenges faced getting medical supplies into Gaza:

Much more aid needed

OCHA said that on Sunday “at least 33 trucks” carrying water, food, and medical supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the largest such delivery since limited convoys resumed on 21 October.

“While this increase is welcome, a much larger volume of aid is needed on a regular basis to prevent further deterioration in the dire humanitarian situation, including civil unrest,” OCHA stressed. Before the 7 October Hamas attacks, close to 500 trucks a day reportedly entered Gaza.

Over the weekend – amid UN relief team warnings that people are already going hungry in Gaza – thousands of people broke into several UNRWA warehouses and distribution centres, taking wheat flour, hygiene supplies and other items.

At the same time, a telecommunication blackout lasting over 24 hours cut Gazans off from the rest of the world and from each other. UNRWA’s Operations Director, Tom White, described the development as “a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza”.

OCHA stressed once again that the entry of fuel, which has not been allowed on the aid trucks, is “urgently required” to operate medical equipment and water and sanitation facilities.