The UN chief said on Monday that the situation in war-torn Gaza is “appalling and apocalyptic”, warning that the situation faced by Palestinians in the territory could amount to a “serious international crime”.
In remarks read on his behalf at the Cairo conference aimed at increasing humanitarian assistance, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to “build a foundation for lasting peace in Gaza and across the Middle East”.
The war in Gaza broke out when the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 44,429 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
Guterres highlighted the devastating damage the conflict is causing and the urgent need for international action.
“Malnutrition is rampant… famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed,” he said.
The UN chief said Gaza now has “the highest number of disabled children per capita in the world”, with “many having lost limbs and undergoing surgery without anaesthesia”.
The Secretary-General also criticized severe restrictions on aid delivery and described current levels as “grossly inadequate”.
According to UNRWA calculations, only 65 aid trucks per day were able to enter Gaza last month, compared to the pre-war average of 500.
International aid organizations have repeatedly expressed concern over deteriorating conditions in Gaza and warned that civilians are on the brink of famine.
He said aid shipments reaching the enclave are now at their lowest level since the beginning of the war.
Israel, which imposed a complete siege on the Hamas-ruled area for a period at the beginning of the conflict, has attributed the aid issues to the inability of relief organizations to handle and distribute large amounts of aid.
The UN’s Guterres said on Monday that the blockade of aid to Gaza was “not a crisis of logistics” but “a crisis of political will and respect for the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law”.
UNRWA said all of its efforts to deliver aid to northern Gaza between October 6, 2024 and November 25 were either “rejected” or “interrupted” amid intense fighting in the area.
Guterres said that UNRWA is “an irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians”, adding that “if UNRWA is forced to close, the responsibility for replacing its vital services … will fall to Israel”.
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