SRINAGAR: The situation in Gaza remains dire, with Israeli military operations continuing to inflict devastating harm on civilians and severely restricting humanitarian aid.
Speaking from central Gaza, Louise Wateridge, Senior Emergencies Officer with the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA, described the aftermath of recent airstrikes in the central region, which reportedly killed 30 Palestinians overnight on Friday. “We’ve seen absolutely horrific images from the scene. Parents are looking for their children, and children, covered in dust and blood, are searching for their parents. People are still buried under the rubble,” she said.
Ms Wateridge condemned the suffering as “absolutely sickening” and highlighted that Gaza now has the highest per capita number of child amputees worldwide. She explained that many children are undergoing surgeries without anaesthesia due to overwhelmed hospitals and severe shortages of medical supplies, including insulin and cancer treatments. “Doctors at Nasser Hospital, the largest semi-functioning hospital in Gaza, are absolutely beside themselves,” she said.
UNRWA reported that nearly 26,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries over the past 14 months, requiring extensive rehabilitation for amputations and spinal injuries. Food insecurity is also escalating, with the Integrated Phase Classification Famine Review Committee issuing an alert about imminent famine in northern Gaza. “People here are surviving on bread, lentils, and canned food. In the past four months alone, nearly 19,000 children were hospitalised due to acute malnourishment,” Ms Wateridge noted.
Humanitarian aid efforts are increasingly obstructed. Following a successful UN aid convoy earlier in the week, attacks on a subsequent convoy on Thursday resulted in the deaths of several guards and left only one truck out of 70 able to deliver supplies. Looting and insecurity have further hampered relief efforts. “The suffering just continues. The sadness continues. It’s very difficult to keep operating under these circumstances,” Ms Wateridge said, emphasising the toll on humanitarian workers, many of whom have lost colleagues and family members.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Gaza. He stressed the importance of respecting international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction and proportionality, and called for unimpeded passage of aid and the protection of civilians.
In northern Gaza, the situation is particularly dire, with thousands of Palestinians facing what the UN described as “apocalyptic conditions” after nearly 10 weeks under siege. The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported that 124 out of 137 humanitarian missions to northern Gaza have been outright denied since October 6. Of the 13 approved, all faced impediments. OCHA reiterated its call for the facilitation of humanitarian movements across all areas of Gaza.
Despite attacks on its premises and staff, UNRWA continues to provide critical services, delivering 6.7 million medical consultations since the conflict began in October 2023. However, Ms Wateridge warned that the situation remains unsustainable without significant international support and access to aid. (The news item is based on UN News-dispatch)
