International aid agencies condemn six-month Israeli war on Gaza
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UNICEF chief Catherine Russell posted on X on April 6 that more than 13,000 children have been reportedly killed.
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People carry a giant Palestinian flag while marching between the Embassy of 'Israel' and the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and in support of Palestinians, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (AP)
The United Nations and other international aid organizations decried on April 7 the devastating toll of six months of the Israeli war in Gaza, warning that the situation in Gaza had become "beyond catastrophic".
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that October 7 "does not justify the horrific ongoing bombardment, siege and health system demolition by Israel in Gaza, killing, injuring and starving hundreds of thousands of civilians, including aid workers."
It has been 6 months since the brutal attacks in #Israel by Hamas and other groups, in which 1,200 people were killed, many more injured and hundreds abducted. @WHO once again condemns this barbaric act of violence and demands the release of remaining hostages.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 7, 2024
However, this… pic.twitter.com/4esDoUEt2F
"The deaths and grievous injuries of thousands of children in Gaza will remain a stain on all of humanity. This assault on present and future generations must end," he added.
"The denial of basic needs -- food, fuel, sanitation, shelter, security, and healthcare -- is inhumane and intolerable," Ghebreyesus stressed on X.
Tedros highlighted that over 70 percent of those who have been killed in Gaza have been women and children.
He stressed, "We urge all parties to silence their guns. We appeal for peace. Now."
According to the WHO, out of Gaza's 36 main hospitals, only 10 are still even partially functional.
UNRWA
The head of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on X that the "hellhole in Gaza is deepening by the day".
No words can do justice to the horrors that people in #Gaza are living in since the war began six months ago.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) April 7, 2024
The lives of 2 million people were turned upside down, often overnight. Many lost the most precious: their loved ones. Everything is in short supply except for… pic.twitter.com/9wmPSPyKIv
"All lines -- including the red lines -- were crossed. This war is made far worse through technologies mis-used by humans to harm other humans; en-masse," he emphasized.
"It is made worse by the famine born from an Israeli-imposed siege, one would think it’s from a different era. As a result, a man-made famine is eating up the bodies of babies and young children," Lazzarini added.
UNICEF
On April 6, UNICEF chief Catherine Russell posted on X that more than 13,000 children have been reportedly killed.
War in Gaza has reportedly killed over 13K children and injured countless more.
— Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) April 6, 2024
Homes, schools and hospitals in ruin.
Teachers, doctors and humanitarians killed.
Famine is imminent.
The level and speed of destruction are shocking.
Children need a ceasefire NOW.
"Homes, schools, and hospitals in ruin. Teachers, doctors, and humanitarians killed. Famine is imminent," she stressed.
UN humanitarian chief
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, stressed on April 6 that there needed to be "a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity".
"For the people of Gaza, the past six months of war have brought death, devastation, and now the immediate prospect of a shameful man-made famine," he emphasized.
The end of this war is so long overdue.
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) April 6, 2024
It is not enough for six months of war to be a moment of remembrance and mourning.
It must also spur a collective determination that there be a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity. pic.twitter.com/p8TMxu0mf1
IFRC
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) emphasized "Six months is an awful milestone," warning that "humanity has been all but abandoned" in the severity of the war on Gaza.
IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain labeled the situation as "beyond catastrophic" and warned that "millions of lives are at risk of hunger."
Chapagain announced on April 7 that another Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) employee had been killed in Gaza.
The body of Mohammad Maher Khalil Abed was found on April 7, but he was killed during the evacuation of the Al-Amal Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis on March 24, he said on X.
Sixteen PRCS staff and volunteers have now been killed since October 7, Chapagain said.
ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions said on X that "a steady flow of humanitarian aid" into Gaza is needed, but it is "only part of the solution".
We continue our call from Oct 7 for the respect of #IHL:
— ICRC (@ICRC) April 7, 2024
-Hostages must be released
-Civilians must have access to medical care & vital services
-Health workers & humanitarian aid workers must be able to carry out their work in safety
Read more: https://t.co/Y0ydAsAWcI
"Both sides must conduct their military operations in a way that spares civilians caught in the middle," it said on X.
