Humanitarian situation in Gaza ‘beyond catastrophic’: UN

More than 1 million people did not receive any food rations in August in southern and central Gaza through humanitarian means, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

“Despite the challenges we face, the UN and other humanitarian organizations continue to do everything possible to provide life-saving aid to Palestinians,” he added.

Between August 19 and the end of the month, 450,000 cooked meals prepared in 130 kitchens were provided daily to families across the besieged enclave.

“It bears repeating that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains beyond catastrophic and we still do not have all the conditions necessary to support people near the scale that they actually need,” Dujarric continued.

Multiple evacuation orders issued by the Israeli security forces had forced 70 kitchens to suspend service or relocate.

For the second consecutive month, there would be insufficient supplies to meet need, meaning families in central and southern Gaza would receive only one food parcel.

Dujarric added that 11 months into the war, international media were still banned from entering Gaza to report on the humanitarian impact.

In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers continued to “utilize lethal war-like tactics”, Dujarric said, referring to reports from the UN emergency aid organization OCHA.

“Medical facilities have been virtually besieged for over a week now, with heavy restrictions imposed on the movement of ambulances and medical staff,” he noted

“OCHA also warns that this is deepening people’s humanitarian needs as well as insecurity and raises concerns over excessive use of force.”

Israel has been blockading and bombarding large parts of the Gaza Strip in a war launched after the Palestinian group Hamas led unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,200 people.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza, more than 40,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war.