Only very small part of south Gaza received food aid: UNRWA Spox

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Dec 2023 00:28

An UNRWA spokesperson says the humanitarian situation is catastrophic in Gaza.

United Nations and Red Crescent workers prepare the aid for distribution to Palestinians at UNRWA warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Eslaiah, File)

UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai pointed out that the agency has "only been able to distribute food in a very small part of southern Gaza," specifically, in Rafah.

"The humanitarian situation is catastrophic in Gaza," Alrifai expressed in an interview with BBC, noting that "over the last few days, we have seen a big reduction in the number of trucks coming in and the number of liters of fuel coming in, which is necessary for the trucks and for the water desalination plants and also for the electricity generators."

She continued, "Because of the intensity of the fighting and the bombardment since the humanitarian pause stopped, we have only been able to distribute food in a very small part of southern Gaza, in Rafah."

"The humanitarian situation is catastrophic in📍#Gaza" @TamaraAlrifai tells @BBCNews that because of the intensity of ongoing bombardments, @UNRWA has only been able to distribute aid in a very small part of southern #Gaza - there are many people we have not been able to reach. pic.twitter.com/I0fIJaWoTz
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 9, 2023

According to the UNRWA spokesperson, "There are many, many people who are not in Rafah and whom we have not been able to access for the last few days, so they’re left with nothing."

On Friday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote a letter to UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis, foreseeing the eventual loss of lives among his team due to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which he described as the "darkest hour in the agency's 75-year history."

"I must inform you that UNRWA's ability to implement its General Assembly mandate in Gaza is today severely limited, with immediate and dire consequences for the UN humanitarian response and the lives of civilians in Gaza," the letter read.

"The long-term implications for Palestine Refugees and prospects for a fair and lasting political solution are grave," it added.

'Nowhere is safe' in Gaza: MSF

In a related context, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) renewed its calls for an "immediate and sustained" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"For two bloody months, we have seen the Israeli forces' indiscriminate attacks on Gaza target Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers. Our patients and staff have been killed," the organization wrote in a post on X.

For two bloody months, we have seen the Israeli forces' indiscriminate attacks on Gaza target Palestinian civilians and healthcare workers. Our patients and staff have been killed. Nowhere is safe.

We call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza.

It all #MustStopNow. pic.twitter.com/F9N8J7dt6v
— MSF International (@MSF) December 9, 2023

"Nowhere is safe. We call for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza," MSF underlined, adding, "It all #MustStopNow."

On Friday, MSF accused the UN Security Council of being complicit in the "slaughter in Gaza."

In a statement, MSF asserted that the inaction on the part of the UNSC and member states in particular, such as the United States, makes them "complicit in the ongoing slaughter; this inaction has given license to the mass killing of men, women, and children."

Calling the trickle of aid entering the Strip "insultingly insufficient," MSF added that "history will judge the delay in ending this slaughter; basic humanity demands action," stressing that the scale of loss and grief unlike the physical damage that will require years of support "may never be assuaged."

MSF reported Wednesday that from December 1 to 7, 1,149 patients were admitted to Gaza's Al-Aqsa Hospital's emergency ward, with 350 of them immediately dying on arrival.

According to the report, "the hospital received more dead patients than injured patients."

MSF International Secretary General Christopher Lockyear emphasized the desperation that people feel to receive food due to the "cruel siege"

"Failure to act now, to enact a total ceasefire and end the siege, would be unforgivable."

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra, reported a sharp increase in the casualties of the Israeli aggression to 17,700 martyrs and 48,780 injuries on the 64th day of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.

This comes after the United States vetoed a UAE-drafted UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution while Britain abstained.

Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, said the draft resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."

Hiding behind the US support, the Israeli occupation's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said that he thanked Washington and US President Joe Biden for vetoing the resolution.