UN official says ‘apocalyptic’ situation in southern Gaza blocking aid

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
6 Dec 2023 11:04
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The top aid official at the United Nations has expressed that the Israeli invasion in southern Gaza has caused equal devastation and destruction compared to the north.

Palestinians fleeing the Israeli invasion arrive in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (AP)

The top aid official at the United Nations has expressed that the Israeli invasion in southern Gaza has caused equal devastation and destruction compared to the north, resulting in "apocalyptic" conditions and eliminating all possibilities of efficient humanitarian efforts.

Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, stated that he represented the entire international aid community in asserting that the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza had deprived aid workers of substantial means to assist the 2.3 million people in Gaza. All they can do, according to the official, is calling for an immediate halt to the genocide.

His remarks coincided with the Israeli military's announcement of a forceful entry into the main city in southern Gaza on the most intense day of fighting, while hospitals struggled to handle numerous killed and wounded Palestinians.

In an interview for The Guardian, Griffiths expressed the urgency of stopping Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying, "What we’re saying today is: that’s enough now. It has to stop." He mentioned that as a result of the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, all humanitarian aid cannot be delivered or distributed, officially ending all humanitarian operations.

Griffiths continued to say, “It isn’t really a statistically significant operation anymore, it’s a bit of a patch on a wound and it doesn’t do the job, and it would be an illusion for the world to think that the people in Gaza can be helped by the humanitarian operation under these conditions. This is an apocalyptic situation now because these are the remnants of a nation being driven into a pocket in the south.”

The US gives 'Israel' green light

The IOF initiated a ground operation in northern Gaza on October 27. Palestinians in Gaza were forced to relocate to the southern part of the Strip, which also faced ongoing Israeli bombardment. Following the breakdown of a week-long ceasefire on December 1, Israeli tanks and infantry entered the south, concentrating efforts on Khan Younis. The IOF reported that their troops had reached the center of the city on Tuesday.

It is worth noting that Joe Biden, despite his call for the protection of civilians, had given "Israel" the green light to begin its incursion toward Southern Gaza.

Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor of the United States, highlighted an IOF strategy to divide Gaza into smaller districts and notify residents in advance of upcoming military operations in their respective areas. Sullivan characterized this approach as "quite unusual for a modern military" aiming to minimize civilian casualties. However, the death toll in Gaza surpassed 16,000 casualties, the majority of whom are civilians.

Why a 'generation of anger' is being created

Although the US stated that it could not identify the trajectory of the Israeli war on Gaza, Griffiths said all US efforts have failed. “US diplomacy was very much focused on this [minimizing casualities] and [secretary of State] Tony Blinken spoke about it publicly. It does not seem to have worked at all, and so the pace of destruction in the south is as relentless as we see in the north. And so we’re left doing very, very little, and frankly facing the inescapable truth which is this is no longer a humanitarian operation, trying to save lives for the people of Gaza. We’ll stay. We’re not leaving … but please don’t think that the humanitarians can save the day. They can’t.”

Samantha Power, the head of the US Agency for International Development, expressed the Biden administration's concern for the protection of Palestinian civilians as "Israel's" military operations continue. She emphasized the tragic impact on innocent lives, citing extreme measures taken by parents in Gaza to safeguard their children.

Despite the UN's efforts to identify safe havens, there is no longer anywhere secure for Palestinians to seek shelter in Gaza. Martin Griffiths noted the absence of safe locations for aid delivery, rendering the humanitarian situation dire, with a significant hindrance in providing help. The inability to access the Rafah crossing to receive the aid being sent to Gaza further exacerbates the challenges, leading to a grim and distressing situation with potential long-term consequences.

“There’s a logic to this, which is horrific and tragic and frankly apocalyptic,” he said. “And I can’t think of a better way to create a generation of anger and extremism than this.”

The Resistance defends its lands

Despite the brutality of the IOF in Gaza, the Resistance remains steadfast in countering all of "Israel's" attacks in defense of Gaza, resulting in significant material and human losses in Israeli ranks.

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Resistance movement, on Tuesday said its fighters managed to kill 10 Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

"A short while ago... Al-Qassam Mujahideen [fighters] managed to finish off 10 Zionist soldiers and kill them from a zero distance in the axis east of the city of Khan Yunis," the military wing said on Telegram.

The military wing further stated that it targeted eight IOF terrorists using anti-personnel missiles and caused injuries to six more IOF soldiers in al-Zana area in the eastern axis of the city of Khan Younis using "Qassam rifles".

On Monday, the spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters destroyed 28 Israeli military vehicles across all axes over the past 24 hours.

Last week, on Friday, al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters targeted dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers, explaining that its fighters detected the presence of at least 60 Israeli soldiers inside tents at a location east of Juhr al-Dik.

Al-Qassam fighters planted three anti-personnel IEDs around the position, whereupon "the explosives were detonated at exactly 4:30 in the morning," the Palestinian Resistance said. "One of the fighters then approached to eliminate any remaining members of the force."

#Watch | Al-Qassam Brigades target Israeli occupation forces' gatherings in the central region of the #Gaza Strip with three al-Zouari suicide drones.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/BlZRz7QmYI
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 1, 2023