Gaza: Worrying alerts from United Nations staff in the Gaza Strip who have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours have increased fears for peoples survival in the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. Doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them UNRWA staff, are hungry…fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties, said Juliette Touma, Director of Communications with the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. Speaking from Amman, she stressed that seeking food has become as deadly as the bombardments.
According to EMM, the foundations hubs are supported by the US and Israeli authorities and started operating in southern Gaza on 27 May, bypassing the UN and other established non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Aid relief is not a job for mercenaries. The so-called GHF distribution scheme is a sadistic death-trap, UNRWAs Ms. Touma said. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if theyre given a license to kill. Quoting a statement by UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, Ms. Touma called the scheme a massive hunt of people in total impunity.
Ms. Touma also reiterated that the UN and its humanitarian partners have the expertise, experience, and available resources to provide safe, dignified, and at-scale assistance. She emphasized that living conditions in Gaza have reached a new low, with prices for basic commodities soaring by around 4,000 percent. For many of Gaza's inhabitants, who have lost their homes and been displaced multiple times, they find themselves completely deprived of essentials.
On Monday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that a quarter of Gaza's population faces famine-like conditions, with almost 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The scarcity and high cost of vital items, such as diapers, have forced families to resort to desperate measures. Ms. Touma stressed that UNRWA has stocks of hygiene supplies, including diapers, waiting to be allowed into Gaza.
World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jašarevic condemned recent attacks on WHO staff and facilities in Gaza, highlighting the grave danger faced by staff and their families due to airstrikes and military operations. He called for the release of a detained WHO staff member and stressed that no one should be held without charges and due process. The ongoing conflict has severely impacted WHO's ability to sustain a collapsing health system in Gaza, where 1,500 health workers have been killed, and 94 percent of health facilities have been damaged.
The WHO spokesperson also pointed out challenges in the humanitarian operation, noting an increase in visa denials by Israeli authorities for emergency medical teams. UNRWA's Ms. Touma highlighted the lack of access for international media to the enclave and called for media presence to report on the ground realities.
UN humanitarians continue to report the rapid collapse of critical lifelines in Gaza. Local authorities have reported deaths from hunger, and hospitals have admitted people in severe exhaustion due to lack of food. OCHA emphasized that facilitating humanitarian operations should not put civilians at risk, and no one should have to risk their life to get food.