In a statement, the agency said on Friday it has “nearly 3,000 UNRWA trucks of lifesaving aid (that) are ready to enter Gaza,” but Israeli authorities continue to block aid supplies from entering.
“The people in Gaza are hungry and the situation is desperate,” the agency added, decrying how “humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip and a weapon of war.”
The UN agency reiterated its appeal that Israel’s “siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume.”
The UNRWA earlier stated that “overcrowded shelters (across Gaza) are in a terrible condition, service providers are struggling to operate, and the last resources are being depleted.”
Israel has closed Gaza’s border crossings to food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid since March 2, triggering a deepening humanitarian disaster, according to reports from government bodies, human rights groups, and international agencies.
The UNRWA recently warned that Gaza is on the brink of “extreme hunger” due to the continued blockade.
The Israeli army resumed its onslaught on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Israel has killed more than 51,400 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
The UN has also warned of the growing malnutrition problem in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s nearly two-month blockade of humanitarian aid to the enclave.
“As a result, hunger is spreading in Gaza. Malnutrition is deepening in Gaza, and injured people and other patients remain untreated in Gaza, and as we’ve said before, people are dying,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said Israel, “as the occupying power, has clear obligations under international law, which include ensuring food, medical supplies, public health services are available, and facilitating humanitarian relief when they’re not otherwise supplied.”
Also addressing the displacement of Palestinians in the besieged enclave, Dujarric stated it remains a “major concern.”
He noted the OCHA had completed an initial analysis of the displacement order issued on Thursday by Israel for areas of North Gaza.
“The order covers 7.5 square kilometers, which is roughly 2% of the Gaza Strip. Overall, about 70% of the Gaza Strip is now under displacement orders or in ‘no-go’ zones, where Israeli authorities require aid personnel to coordinate their movements,” he added.
