Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 30th Jan. UN humanitarians warned on Monday that the ongoing hostilities across the Gaza have been “particularly intense” in Khan Younis as the UNWRA, reported that its shelters were now 4 times over-capacity.
UNRWA tweeted on social platform X, “There is simply not enough food,” with photographs from the city Deir-al-Balah, showed people lining up “in the rain and cold” for relief supplies.
UN aid coordination office OCHA in its latest situation update, reported heavy fighting in Khan Younis close to two hospitals: Nasser where many wounded patients have “no options for treatment amid ongoing heavy fighting and bombing”, cited Médecins Sans Frontières and Al Amal where the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported continuing bombardment of the immediate vicinity.
OCHA said that there were reports of Palestinians fleeing south to Rafah “which is overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage, as it noted rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel.
UNRWA insisted that it would do “whatever possible” to continue helping Gazans, as the largest aid organization in Gaza strip after extremely serious allegations that several of their staff colluded with Hamas during the 7 October attacks on Israel.
UN Office of Internal Oversight Services has launched a probe into these allegations.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressed that any UN employee involved “in acts of terror will be held accountable”.
According to OIOS and Isreali intelligence, 12 individuals allegedly implicated, 9 were immediately identified and their contracts terminated with UNRWA and 1 staff member was confirmed dead and the identities of the remaining 2 are being clarified.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced a full, independent review of the agency on January 17.
Mr. Guterres appealed to the countries that suspended funding to the UNRWA to reconsider their decisions, to at least ensure continuity of its vital humanitarian operations.
WHO Director-General Tedros said in a post on X on Sunday that cutting off funding to UNRWA “will only hurt the people of Gaza”.
The healthy agency said that Palestinians face the looming threat of famine, disease and displacement after nearly four months of Israeli bombardment, prompted by Hamas-led terror attacks that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 people taken hostage.
Over 2 million people in Gaza depend on the UN agency for their survival but its humanitarian operation “is collapsing”, warned Mr. Lazzarini on X on Saturday.
UNRWA has 13,000 staff serving Palestinian communities in Gaza.
Some 3,000 continue to work in a war zone with running shelters for over one million people, providing food and healthcare to civilians in dire need since the start of the conflict.
OCHA said as of today over 26,420 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, cited data from the health ministry.
According to the Israeli military Some 220 Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes and over 1,260 injured.
UN Emergency Humanitarian official Martin Griffiths said on Sunday on X that “The people of Gaza have been enduring unthinkable horrors and deprivation for months”.
“Their needs have never been higher and our humanitarian capacity to assist them has never been under such threat. We need to be at full stretch to give the people of Gaza a moment of hope,” he added.
