Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 19th Jan. UN humanitarian and coordination office on Thursday reported that the medicines for Israeli hostages were allowed into Gaza for the first time along with a consignment of relief supplies for Palestinians, under an agreement brokered by Qatar and France.
UN humanitarians are warned the level of assistance for many Gazans is now “almost catastrophic”.
OCHA in its latest update on Wednesday reported ongoing “intense” Israeli bombardment of the occupied territory and rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian armed groups.
According to the WFP, the violence has made it impossible to distribute aid relief much beyond Rafah in the south of the Strip, where over 1.2 million people shelter in dangerously overcrowded conditions under plastic sheeting.
WFP MENA Senior Communications Officer and Spokesperson Abeer Atefa said “Areas beyond Rafah, it’s almost catastrophic assistance”.
She echoed repeated appeals for greater access by other UN agencies working to reach all five Gaza governorates.
According to OCHA, UN agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies north of Wadi Gaza; only one in four made it after Israeli authorities denied the rest.
UN aid wing noted that two missions originally coordinated with the Israeli authorities “could not be completed due to the non-viability of allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints, which did not allow the missions to succeed during the safe operating windows”.
Over 100 Israelis still believed held in Gaza, it’s been reported that 45 require treatment for chronic diseases or other lifesaving medicines.
OCHA stated that 160 Gazans died in the last two days and 350 were injured.
It cited health officials in Gaza that the total number of Palestinians confirmed killed is over 24,400 since the war began.
Three Israeli soldiers were eportedly killed in clashes in Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday, OCHA noted.
Some 191 Israeli fighters have died since 7 October when coordinated Hamas led incursions into Israel left around 1,200 dead and some 250 taken hostage, sparked massive Israeli retaliation.
OCHA warned that the devastation caused by the war has now left “only one of the three water pipelines from Israel into Gaza” functioning.
UN aid office noted that the Deir al Balah water pipeline whose capacity is close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day needs repairs after record levels of diarrhoea and other diseases caused by poor sanitation and hunger.
“Water, hygiene, and sanitation partners have estimated that repairs could take up to four weeks, even allowing for sustained access and the necessary supplies,” OCHA said.
The deputy chief UNICEF, Ted Chand warned that on a three-day visit to Gaza this week he had witnessed “some of the most horrific conditions I have ever seen.”
“Since my last visit, the situation has gone from catastrophic to near collapse”, he said in a statement.
“UNICEF has described the Gaza Strip as the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. We have said this is a war on children. But these truths do not seem to be getting through.
“Of the nearly 25,000 people reported to have been killed in the Gaza since the escalation in hostilities up to 70 per cent are reported to be women and children. The killing of children must cease immediately.”
He met an 11-year-old girl called Sama at Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“She was skipping with friends when they were hit by shrapnel from a bombardment. The shrapnel sliced through Sama’s abdomen, forcing her into surgery to remove her spleen. She is recovering in hospital, isolated from everyone around her because she is now immune compromised in a war zone full of disease and infection.”
He described meeting 13-year-old Ibrahim: “He was in a designated shelter with his family, in an area they were told was safe, when everything collapsed around them. Ibrahim’s hand was badly damaged and quickly became infected. Without medicine, gangrene took hold and he ultimately lost his arm during an amputation without anaesthetic.”
He said these children and their families “can’t wait any longer for a humanitarian ceasefire”, also reminding that there are two Israeli children still being held hostage by Palestinian militants, who must be released safely and unconditionally.
“This cannot go on,” he added.
