Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 14th Nov. UN humanitarian affairs official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Andrea De Domenico on Monday warned that trucks transporting aid into Gaza could stop operating on Tuesday due to a lack of fuel.
Andrea De Domenico said that the situation is unfolding as “lives are hanging by a thread”, including those of babies in incubators at hospitals that depend on fuel for electricity, told journalists in New York.
“Humanitarian ceasefire, fuel supplies all of these should be happening now. We are running out of time before we really facing major disaster,” he was speaking from Jerusalem.
The UN continues to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza since Hamas militants launched deadly attacks against Israel on October 7 and seized some 240 hostages, including babies and older persons.
Thousands have been killed, including 101 staff from the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
Mr. De Domenico said that this past weekend saw intensified fighting around Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip.
Critical infrastructure was damaged, such as water tanks, oxygen stations, the cardiovascular facility, and the maternity ward. Three nurses reportedly were killed.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced that Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City – the second largest in the enclave – was no longer operational due to damage to the main generator line.
“In any case, PRCS told us that they have fuel only for 24 hours, and any possibility of looking or finding fuel was almost impossible and very dangerous given that there were snipers shooting in and around the hospital,” he said.
He said that efforts were underway to evacuate seven intensive care patients and four babies in incubators.
Some staff and patients have managed to flee, others remain trapped inside the hospital either because they fear leaving or are unable to do so for medical reasons.
Mr. De Domenico underscored the critical need for fuel and medical supplies, noting that some patients have died, while access to water and food has become increasingly difficult.
OCHA teams have observed the movement of some 10,000 people from north Gaza who have headed south after evacuation orders issued by Israel.
On Sunday, 76 trucks delivered aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, an arrangement that has been in place since 21 October.
They carried health supplies, bottled water, blankets, tents and hygiene products. Some 980 trucks have made the journey is far below the level needed.
“Actually, instead of a much-needed increase of this assistance, we have been informed by the colleagues of UNRWA that due to the lack of fuel, as of tomorrow the operations of receiving trucks will no longer be possible,” he said.
“Operational conditions in general are deteriorating by the hour,” he added.
“We have no fuel, no communication and no guarantee of respecting UN premises or in any case notifying premises which is of course reducing progressively our ability to operate.”
UN agencies call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages, and sustained and continued aid access to people in need, wherever they are located.
UN humanitarians from across the region highlighted their appeal for $1.2 billion to meet the needs of 2.2 million people in Gaza and another 500,000 in the West Bank through the end of the year.
Lynn Hastings, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the situation in Gaza is beyond any they have ever seen “almost anywhere in the world”.
She said at least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities – together with around 1,200 Israelis – a death toll that is “the same as in 18 months in Ukraine and as in Sudan in six months.”
It is estimated 55 per cent of the water supply infrastructure requires repair or rehabilitation. People have resorted to using unhealthy water sources “and we’re expecting this to lead to more of a public health crisis”.
She emphasized on the devastation sustained by the humanitarian community in Gaza, which is “heavily localized and reliant on national staff”.
Ms. Hastings urged humanitarians to be mindful of rising fatalities in the West Bank, where 100 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed since the Gaza conflict on 7 October.
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