By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – In a statement from the heads of six major aid agencies that include OCHA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNRWA, WFP, and WHO – the warning is clear, “We are witnessing acts of war that show an utter disregard for human life.” The statement reveals that over 2.1 million people “are trapped, bombed and starved again” and that no humanitarian aid has been allowed in, stating that: “fuel and shelter supplies are piling up, and vital equipment is stuck.” According to the statement, “For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza,” and with the “partially functional health system” overwhelmed and 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Program (WPF) forced to close due to a lack of gas and cooking supplies – people are starving and in imminent danger of dying from starvation. After violations of the ceasefire on both sides, the Gaza Strip saw “the highest one-week death toll among children in Gaza in the past year,” the statement read.
The statement warns that the situation will only worsen and that the international community must act with urgency to save Palestinians in Gaza. The following is the end of the statement by aid agency heads, urging everyone to take action:
“The latest ceasefire allowed us to achieve in 60 days what bombs, obstruction and lootings prevented us from doing in 470 days of war: life-saving supplies reaching nearly every part of Gaza.
While this offered a short respite, assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low.
New Israeli displacement orders have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee yet again, with no safe place to go.
No one is safe. At least 408 humanitarian workers, including over 280 from UNRWA, have been killed since October 2023.
With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld. “
Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire.
