UN Agencies: Gaza Crisis Reflects Blatant Disregard for Human Life
UNICEF, WHO, UNRWA, and others issue urgent call as blockade, mass displacement, and child casualties escalate across Gaza.
Watan-The leading UN humanitarian organizations—including UNICEF, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNRWA—issued a joint statement on Monday warning of a total collapse of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, describing the current events as “a complete disregard for human life.”
The statement noted that Gaza has been under a suffocating blockade for over a month, with no humanitarian or commercial aid allowed in, while more than 2.1 million people face constant bombardment and starvation. Vital supplies continue to pile up at border crossings without being permitted entry.
According to the signatories, over 1,000 children were killed or injured in just the first week following the collapse of the ceasefire—the highest number recorded in a single week over the past year.
UN Leaders Warn: “No One Is Safe” as Gaza Faces Collapse
The statement highlighted that 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme recently shut down due to a lack of flour and cooking gas. The health system is operating only partially under severe strain, with critical medical supplies running dangerously low.
“While the most recent truce allowed life-saving aid to reach wide areas of Gaza, the needs remain massive, and the available assistance is far from meeting even the minimum,” the statement said.
The agencies held Israel responsible for a new wave of forced displacement, as military evacuation orders forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee once again, with no safe areas to go to. The statement stressed that “no one is safe,” noting that at least 408 humanitarian workers have been killed since October, including more than 280 UNRWA staff.
The statement concluded with an urgent appeal to world leaders to take immediate and serious action to uphold international humanitarian law, facilitate aid access, ensure the protection of civilians, release hostages, and work toward the renewal of a ceasefire.
The statement was signed by the heads of the major organizations:
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Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
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Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF
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Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of UNOPS
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Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA
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Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme
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Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization
