Gaza faces total collapse as blockade strangles aid: UN
3 Min Read
Starvation, displacement, and violence are intensifying in Gaza as water and food run out, hospitals fail, and hundreds of thousands are forced to flee.
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A man stands on the rubble of a building hit in an Israeli strike in the al-Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip (AFP)
Water access in Gaza has become "impossible", OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko told journalists in Geneva, emphasizing that food stocks have run out.
While she spoke, she described a “very violent fight” unfolding just downstairs, where desperate people were throwing rocks and firing shots at a water truck as it pulled away.
Cherevko described a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with children deprived of their childhood, the elderly scavenging for food and fuel, hospitals overwhelmed and running out of supplies, and fuel shortages pushing the enclave toward collapse, as UN aid workers continue to press Israeli authorities to reopen border crossings.
UN officials urged "Israel" to lift the Gaza blockade immediately, with OCHA pledging to resume large-scale aid deliveries and stressing that humanitarian assistance must not be used as bargaining tools.
Cherevko reported that in the last six weeks, 420,000 people have been forced to flee once again—many with nothing but the clothes they wore—facing gunfire en route and arriving at overcrowded shelters, as supposed safe havens like tents are being bombed.
She expressed deep concern for the future, saying, “Years from now, we may face our children and grandchildren with shame, unable to explain why we didn’t stop this nightmare.”
“How much more blood must be spilled before enough becomes enough?” she asked.
"The international community has a choice – to keep scrolling through the grisly images of Gaza being suffocated and starved or muster the courage and the moral fiber to make decisions that would break this merciless blockade."
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) May 2, 2025
- Olga Cherevko, @UNOCHA Spokesperson, #Gaza pic.twitter.com/HMliqrkwyN
Turk urges global action
On his part, UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk warned of a looming humanitarian collapse in Gaza due to "Israel’s" ongoing blockade, calling the starvation of civilians a potential war crime and denouncing plans to force relocations to a so-called “humanitarian zone” in Rafah.
“As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level,” Turk stated.
The UN chief warned that using starvation as a method of war "constitutes a war crime, and so do all forms of collective punishment."
The UN Human Rights chief condemned "Israel’s" reported plan to designate Rafah as a “humanitarian zone", warning that it would likely deprive vulnerable Palestinians, especially those unable to relocate, of access to food and aid.
Gaza aid system near collapse amid deadly blockade: UN, Red Cross
As "Israel" continues the blockade, the UN and Red Cross warn that aid efforts are nearing total collapse amid starvation, chaos, and widespread suffering, with food stocks depleted and urgent international action needed to prevent further catastrophe.
"The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse," the International Committee of the Red Cross warned, adding that without "immediate action", the strip will fall further into chaos.
Pascal Hundt, the ICRC's deputy head of operations, also warned that "civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance".
Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's head of emergencies, described the situation as an "abomination", citing that the bodies and minds of Gaza's children are being broken.
