UN Chief Appalled as Gaza Crisis Deepens, Aid Blocked

Civilians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times and forced to find shelter in areas with little public or sanitation services.

The UN Secretary-General is “appalled” by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as civilians face yet another wave of mass displacement with few safe places to go.

Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life,” Mr. Dujarric said.

On just one day this week, nearly 30,000 people were forced to flee under new Israeli relocation orders, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine, or water, he added.

With no fuel having entered Gaza in over 17 weeks, the UN chief is also “gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off.”

“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,” Mr. Dujarric said.

“The delivery by the United Nations and partners of what little lifesaving humanitarian aid remains in Gaza will also grind to a halt.”

The Secretary-General reiterated his call for safe and sustained humanitarian access so that aid can reach people in desperate need.

“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,” Mr. Dujarric said.

The Secretary-General also repeated his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. He reminded all parties that international humanitarian law must be upheld.

Displacement remains relentless. On Wednesday, Israeli authorities issued a new evacuation order in parts of Gaza City, affecting some 40,000 people, including a displacement site, a medical point, and one of the few neighbourhoods that had remained untouched by such orders since before the March ceasefire.

Since that ceasefire collapsed, over 50 such orders have been issued, now covering 78 per cent of Gaza’s territory.

“Add the Israeli-militarized zones and that percentage jumps to 85—leaving just 15 per cent where civilians can actually stay,” Mr. Dujarric said, briefing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

Those areas are overcrowded and severely lacking in services and proper infrastructure.

“Imagine having just over two million people in Manhattan—which is actually slightly bigger—but instead of buildings, the area is strewn with the rubble of demolished and bombed-out structures, without infrastructure or basic support,” the UN Spokesperson said.

“And in Gaza, these remaining areas are also fragmented and unsafe.”