UNRWA warns of humanitarian disaster in Gaza amid Israeli blockade
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UNRWA and the Red Cross have issued dire warnings of the consequences the suffocating Israeli blockade could have on Gaza and its residents.
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A Palestinian child injured in an Israeli airstrike receives treatment at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, April 12, 2025 (AP)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Saturday that clean water and food supplies in the Gaza Strip have become critically scarce due to a prolonged blockade and the total halt of humanitarian aid deliveries over the past six weeks.
In a statement, UNRWA said that thousands of families in the Gaza Strip are enduring immense suffering and emphasized that urgent humanitarian assistance must reach the strip immediately.
The agency cautioned that continued restrictions on aid could push the region into a full-scale humanitarian disaster, particularly in light of the widespread collapse of infrastructure and the severe shortage of basic life-sustaining resources.
The warning comes as international pressure mounts to establish humanitarian corridors and facilitate the entry of aid to alleviate the worsening conditions faced by civilians under siege by the Israeli occupation.
Asrar, mother of five, lost her home in #Gaza due to shelling. Injured and displaced, she now shelters with her children in an overcrowded UNRWA facility. Food and clean water are limited due to the siege blocking entry of aid for nearly six weeks now.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) April 12, 2025
Thousands of families face… pic.twitter.com/MtK1bhbvju
UN and Red Cross raise alarms
Earlier on Saturday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the actions of the Israeli occupation in Gaza, stating that they are “systematically undermining the future ability of Palestinians to live in the devastated territory.”
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also raised alarms, warning that supplies at the ICRC’s field hospital in Gaza are expected to run out within two weeks. She described the situation as “hell on earth,” adding that “in many areas, residents have no access to water, electricity, or food.”
The latest statements from UN agencies and humanitarian organizations underscore growing concerns about the deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the urgent need for unimpeded access to life-saving aid.
UN says 400,000 displaced since 'Israel' shattered ceasefire in Gaza
In the weeks since "Israel" resumed its war on Gaza, nearly 400,000 residents have been displaced, as relentless attacks have resulted in large-scale civilian casualties, according to a statement by the United Nations Secretary-General's spokesman on Monday.
"Survivors across Gaza are being displaced repeatedly and forced into an ever-shrinking space where their basic needs just cannot be met," stated United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric, adding that "overall, we estimate that nearly 400,000 people have been displaced yet again since the breakdown of the ceasefire."
The heads of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme issued a joint statement, calling on world leaders to act firmly, urgently, and decisively to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.
The joint statement highlighted that massive numbers of Gaza residents are "trapped, bombed and starved again, while, at crossing points, food, medicine, fuel and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck" as "Israel" continues to impose a siege on humanitarian aid from entering the Strip.
"We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life," the UN heads added, emphasizing that "assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low."
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