Gaza humanitarian crisis deteriorating at unprecedented rate: UNRWA

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
18 Apr 2025 18:09

UNRWA reports a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with over 90,000 displaced Palestinians sheltering in agency facilities amid ongoing Israeli bombardment and aid blockades.

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Mourners carry white sacks covering the bodies of members of the Abu Al-Rous family, killed when an Israeli airstrike struck their displacement tent overnight, during their funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, April 17, 2025 (AP)

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening at an unprecedented rate, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Friday.

According to the agency, more than 90,000 forcibly displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering in 115 UNRWA-run facilities, as Israeli bombardment and a crippling blockade continue to escalate the catastrophe.

UNRWA highlighted that the ban on the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, ongoing since March 2, has significantly deepened the suffering of civilians in Gaza. The blockade has further deteriorated both living conditions and access to healthcare across the Strip.

Forced displacement continues to rise following the collapse of the ceasefire, with UN estimates indicating that nearly 420,000 people have been newly displaced, bringing the total number to over 1.9 million individuals, approximately 90% of Gaza’s population, based on earlier reports.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that 51,065 Palestinians have been killed and 116,505 injured in the Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023.

'Hellish' situation in Gaza

The director of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, has called the Gaza Strip's situation "hellish", noting that "there is absolutely no safe place and people are constantly on the move, constantly on the evacuation order, displacement order."

During the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Philippe Lazzarini answered Anadolu's questions concerning the situation in Gaza.

He emphasized the difficulties encountered by Palestinians who, in addition to daily bombs, are "struggling with spreading and deepening hunger, are struggling with diseases, an extraordinary, also filthy, living condition."

Lazzarini expressed that the situation before the ceasefire was already "hellish," but it now has "reached the bottom," adding that since the ceasefire broke down, the situation "has gone even worse."

2 million Gazans trapped amid suffocating siege

Meanwhile, the United Nations cautioned on Thursday that more than two million people remain trapped inside the Gaza Strip, warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis amid relentless Israeli assaults and an Israeli blockade that has halted aid deliveries since early March.

“More than 2 million people remain trapped inside Gaza. Ongoing hostilities and dwindling aid supplies have driven up stress levels — especially among children — with mental health needs growing by the day,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), according to Anadolu.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated sharply since "Israel" imposed a full blockade on cargo, including life-saving assistance, on March 2. Dujarric warned that current aid levels are critically low, further threatening public health and civilian survival.

The blockade has severely impacted essential infrastructure. “The water sector has been heavily damaged,” Dujarric noted, adding that nearly 90% of Gaza’s water assets have been affected by the ongoing war.