UN Officials Call Gaza The Most Dangerous Place For Humanitarian Aid Delivery

World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid agency vehicles were attacked by the Israeli military. (Wikimedia Commons/Tasnim News Agency)

JAKARTA - UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Aid Coordinator Tom Fletcher called the Gaza Strip, Palestine the most dangerous territory for aid delivery, as he voiced concerns over the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

"We are facing difficult places to provide humanitarian support. However, Gaza is currently the most dangerous, in the year when more humanitarian workers were killed than ever recorded," he explained.

Fletcher further warned that North Gaza had been under siege for nearly a total of more than two months, causing the threat of hunger to increase.

After ending his trip to the Middle East, where he met with a humanitarian team in the occupied Palestinian Territories, Fletcher said: "In January 2024, the International Court issued a series of first temporary orders in the case of implementing the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip."

"Short than a year later, the intensity of continued violence means that there is no place for civilians in safe Gaza. Schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure have been destroyed into debris," he explained.

"South Gaza is very congested, creating terrible living conditions and greater humanitarian needs as winter arrives. Throughout Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in densely populated areas continue, including in areas where Israeli troops ordered people to move, which caused damage, evacuation and death," he explained.

"As a result, although humanitarian needs are enormous, it is almost impossible to send even a small amount of much-needed assistance. Israeli authorities continue to deny us significant access to more than 100 requests to access Northern Gaza has been rejected since October 6," he said.

"Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the situation continues to worsen and the death toll is the highest we have ever recorded," the UN aid chief said.

He called on the international community to defend international humanitarian law, demand protection for all civilians, release all hostages, defend UNRWA's important work and break the cycle of violence.

"Last year, Israeli military operations resulted in the destruction of important infrastructure such as roads and water grids, especially in refugee camps where families were displaced. The increasing violence of settlers and demolition of houses has resulted in evacuation and increasing need. Restrictions on movement hinder people's livelihoods and access to essential services , especially health services," he explained.

He added that he paid tribute to the humanitarian workers who worked to save the lives of civilians in conditions like this.

Yesterday, Gaza's health authorities confirmed that the death toll from Palestine since the latest conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, has reached 45,317, while 107,713 people have been injured, the majority of children and women.