Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 8th Feb. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths on Wednesday hailed early indications of a “potential breakthrough” in negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza as the devastating Gaza-Israel war entered its 5th month which reported 27,585 Palestinians dead and 70,000 injured.
Martin Griffiths noted the possibility of “a long period of a pause (in fighting) to allow hostages out and Palestinian prisoners out” as he commented on the “potentially positive news” surrounded the “huge efforts” involved in the latest international push for peace in Gaza spearheaded by Egypt, Qatar and the United States,
He said that this phase will be followed by another period of calm “which could lead to an end to the war” between Hamas and Israel.
UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported “intense bombardment” across much of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in the city of Khan Younis.
OCHA said in its latest update on the crisis “For over two weeks, heavy fighting continues to be reported near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals in Khan Younis, jeopardizing the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick as well as thousands of internally displaced persons seeking refuge at both hospitals,”.
It cited the local health authority, the situation update noted that Israeli forces had “intensified their siege” of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, putting at risk “300 medical personnel, 450 wounded and some 10,000 displaced people seeking shelter in the hospital compound”.
According to OCHA, “There is a severe shortage of surgical supplies and sutures, and there is an estimated four days left of the amount of fuel needed to power hospital generators,”.
It added that another Israeli soldier had been reportedly killed during the ground operation from 5 to 6 February, bring the total number of military fatalities to 224 with 1,304 injured.
UNRWA said that 3 in 4 Gazans are now displaced.
More than half are children and all face acute shortages of food, water, shelter and medicine, OCHA said,.
UNRWA warned that attacks on schools hosting internally displaced people have continued.
It said that 282 incidents have impacted UNRWA facilities sheltering displaced families, leaving some 377 dead and 1,365 injured, since Israeli bombardment began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel on 7 October that left more than 1,200 Israeli and foreign national dead and over 250 taken hostage.
