Israeli war on Gaza defies 'decency, law, humanity': UN official
4 Min Read
The UN's Jonathan Whittall declared that there are no "humanitarian solutions" as he urged political action and accountability.
-
Palestinians grieve over the bodies of their relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike as they prepare for burial at the hospital in Beit Lahia in Gaza on April 2, 2025. (AP)
A senior UN official has condemned "Israel's" war on Gaza, calling it "a war without limits" as aid workers continue to be targeted.
In a video conference, Jonathan Whittall, senior humanitarian affairs officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory, cited the Israeli killing of 15 humanitarian workers whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the Gaza Strip, saying, "They were killed while trying to save lives."
Palestinian civil defense teams announced on Sunday that they had recovered the bodies of 15 martyrs in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah, southern Gaza. The victims, killed in an Israeli targeting, included civil defense personnel, Palestinian Red Crescent medics, and an employee for UNRWA.
Whittall called the case "emblematic" of the low point reached in Gaza, detailing how what is taking place "defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law. It really is a war without limits."
He emphasized the severe situation, stating that "as of today, 64% of Gaza is under active forced displacement orders or falls within the so-called buffer zone."
He cautioned that "nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza" as victims are bombarded while attempting to get food, and aid depots are destroyed.
The official rejected Israeli assertions that Gaza has enough food. "Supplies were literally drip-fed" into the strip, Whittall argued.
"There are no humanitarian solutions to the crisis," he said, urging political action and accountability.
Despite the tragedy, he emphasized that Palestinians maintain optimism, adding that "hope dies last in Gaza," encouraging nations to uphold international law and advocate for a ceasefire.
Since "Israel" renewed its aggression on the Strip on March 18, 2025, the toll has climbed to 1,066 martyrs and 2,597 injuries. The cumulative toll of the genocide since October 7, 2023, has now climbed to 50,423 martyrs and 114,638 injuries, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Several victims remain under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulances and civil defense teams.
As for today's strikes, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that Israeli airstrikes since dawn Wednesday have killed over 68 Palestinians, as relentless bombardment across the Strip continues.
Who cares?!
— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) March 31, 2025
Gaza Strip — Made by Israeli occupation forces! pic.twitter.com/FFuaJ0AE7L
Gaza bakeries shut down due to severe fuel, flour shortages amid siege
Every bakery in the Gaza Strip has suspended operations indefinitely due to a serious lack of flour and fuel, which resulted from a month-long Israeli siege that prevented these basic supplies from entering the Strip.
According to Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, the chairman of the Gaza Bakery Association, the closing of bakeries in Gaza means the halt of all bakeries participating in the World Food Programme (WFP).
Al-Ajrami described the present scenario as an ongoing hunger war, with bakeries in the southern Gaza Strip closing their doors yesterday and those in central and northern Gaza anticipated to follow suit starting today.
According to al-Ajrami, the bakery closures are the direct result of "Israel's" ongoing blockade of products, which has resulted in significant shortages of not just flour and fuel but also yeast. He went on to say that the scenario is increasing Gaza's dismal living circumstances, which have already been hampered by continued Israeli aggression, with inhabitants now facing a lack of cooking gas.
The Gaza Strip normally uses 450 tons of flour each day, with bakeries providing around 50% of the population's needs. The area has 140 operational bakeries, 70 of which are automated. Israeli bombings have damaged a considerable number of these bakeries, mainly in northern Gaza, causing damages estimated in the millions of dollars.
