“The current state is extremely concerning. With every passing minute and hour, it continues to deteriorate,” stated the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees in a post on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.

Currently, up to 150 trucks are able to enter Gaza on a daily basis. In the northern region, approximately one out of every six children under the age of two is severely malnourished. Recent media coverage has revealed that over 20 young children have succumbed to starvation, including a newborn infant only two weeks old.

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council had a private meeting to discuss the current situation. They received updates from Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts.

A significant increase in aid is necessary.

After the meeting, Ms. Kaag spoke to reporters and emphasized the importance of consistent and significantly improved humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza on a large scale.

She stated that our goal is to saturate the market in Gaza with humanitarian supplies and revitalize the private sector in order to allow commercial items to enter and meet the needs of the civilians.

She restated that providing humanitarian aid “is not simply a matter of tracking the number of trucks.”

She stated that we need to ensure that it fulfills the requirements and quantity.

Ms. Kaag stressed the significance of expanding the supply routes over land, which is still the most effective solution. She mentioned that it is easier, quicker, and cost-effective in the long term, and also emphasized the importance of creating more entry points.

Ms. Kaag commented on reports of countries creating a maritime corridor to Gaza, stating that these efforts to increase aid were positively received.

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She stated that while humanitarian aid can be delivered by air or sea, it cannot replace the need for aid to arrive via land transport.

Over 30,000 killed

More than 30,000 individuals have lost their lives due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, as a reaction to terror attacks led by Hamas in Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths and over 240 individuals being held hostage.

Attempts at negotiating a ceasefire in Qatar previously and now in Cairo, in exchange for the release of nearly 100 hostages and improved aid access in Gaza, have failed to put an end to the ongoing violence or improve the dire humanitarian situation.

Over two million individuals rely on UNRWA efforts for their survival, as the threat of famine increases, particularly in the northern region of Gaza.

Northern access hope

On Thursday, UN aid groups aimed to assess the practicality of utilizing an access road controlled by the Israeli military to transport at least 300 aid trucks daily to northern Gaza, in the absence of an agreement between Hamas and Israel.

The aid convoy initiative, announced on Wednesday by Jamie McGoldrick, the top aid official for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), aims to provide humanitarian supplies to vulnerable individuals in the northern part of the enclave. This will eliminate the need to navigate obstacles and potential dangers.

“We must utilize the military road, which is fenced and located on the eastern side of Gaza, in order to facilitate the transportation of materials from the crossing points at Kerem Shalom and Rafah to the northern areas. In a video briefing to journalists, Mr. McGoldrick, Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the OPT, emphasized the urgency of ensuring at least 300 trucks per day are able to reach their destination. Currently, we are only managing about 150 trucks per day.”

Before Ramadan begins on Sunday, the experienced aid worker pointed out that there has been a 50% decrease in relief goods entering Gaza in February, as compared to January. This is concerning considering the significant and increasing needs of over 2.3 million individuals who are living in dire conditions.

Fishing livelihoods devastated

Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur for food, brought renewed focus on the dire food insecurity crisis in Gaza during a meeting at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday. He stated that the Israeli bombardment has caused severe damage to 75% of the enclave’s fishing sector.

“Israel has mounted a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and one way it is doing this is by targeting small-scale fishers,” he told the forum’s 47 Member States. 

Since October 7th, the independent human rights expert has stated that Israel has prevented any access to the sea, causing financial hardship for fishermen who were once financially stable.

The speaker reported that the Israeli military significantly damaged the Port of Gaza, completely demolishing all fishing boats and shacks. In Rafah, only 2 out of 40 boats remain intact, while in Khan Younis, around 75 smaller fishing vessels were destroyed by Israel.

The dismantling of fishing employment in the district has jeopardized access to nourishment for all inhabitants of Gaza and forced them into a state of extreme hunger, according to the Special Rapporteur.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 17 years, preventing small-scale fishers from accessing their territorial waters. This has caused severe hardship for the region.

Source: news.un.org