Thomas White, the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, described the city as a deserted ghost town as we drove through it. The effects of intense airstrikes and shelling were clearly seen, with empty streets and damaged roads filled with craters, making it difficult to provide aid.

Truce deadline looms

Wednesday marks the sixth and final day of a truce between Hamas and Israel that was facilitated by Qatar. Humanitarians have urged the warring sides to support repeated international calls to extend the pause in fighting, which has facilitated the reported release of at least 85 hostages by Hamas, and of more than 180 Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

The temporary stoppage has also allowed humanitarian organizations, mainly the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and United Nations agencies, to improve the delivery of much-needed aid to and within Gaza, as reported by the aid coordination office, OCHA.

The most recent aid update from the UN office mentioned that a convoy from the Palestine Red Crescent Society arrived in the north on Tuesday. The convoy delivered food, medical supplies, water, and non-food items. However, the majority of aid distribution has been directed towards the south, where the majority of displaced Gazans currently reside.

Aid workers’ courage

The UNRWA announced that on Monday, a shipment of six trucks arrived at Jabalia, the biggest and most developed refugee camp in Gaza, situated north of Gaza City.

Despite the tragic loss of his wife and daughter, Mr. White stated that his colleagues at Jabalia with UNRWA are dedicated to serving their communities every day, including their sanitation services chief.

Since the fighting ceased on November 24th, approximately 200 aid trucks have successfully entered the enclave through Egypt on a daily basis.

On Wednesday, images from UNRWA depicted volunteers unloading sacks of supplies at a warehouse and filling a stationary fuel tank.

According to health officials in Gaza, over 15,000 individuals have lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes, with approximately 6,000 of them being children.

Tedros issued a grave caution

The leader of the United Nations’ health organization issued a new cautionary statement on Wednesday regarding the increased likelihood of illnesses spreading among individuals who have been forced to leave their homes due to violent conflicts.

In a post on X (previously known as Twitter), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus restated grave evaluations that due to poor living conditions and inadequate healthcare, the number of fatalities from illnesses could surpass those from bombings.

The most recent statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 111,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, 75,000 cases of diarrhea, and tens of thousands of individuals experiencing scabies, lice, skin rashes, and jaundice.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), over 1.8 million people in Gaza, which makes up 80% of the population, have been forced to leave their homes since Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7th. This attack resulted in 1,200 casualties and 240 individuals being held captive.

The evacuees from the north had departed their residences following an order from the Israeli Defense Forces on October 13th.

Source: news.un.org