The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs accused Israel of systematically obstructing aid to Gaza with the aim of exterminating Palestinians.
The United Nations has accused Israel of systematically starving civilians in the Gaza Strip. The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Territories, Jonathan Whittall, accused Israel of deliberately obstructing the use of tried-and-tested UN systems. “We could reach every family in Gaza – as we have done in the past – but we are being prevented from doing so at every turn,” he said in Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip. The catastrophic conditions are “completely avoidable,” Whittall said. “These are conditions that are designed to kill.” The occupying power, Israel, appears to be pursuing a policy of “eradicating Palestinians from life.”
UN: Almost daily deaths while searching for food
Israeli forces routinely open fire on people trying to get food, Whittall said. Trying to survive is often punishable by “a death sentence.” Since the lifting of the Israeli supply blockade a month ago, people searching for food have been killed “almost every day.” The UN representative accused the Israeli leadership of deliberately setting up food distribution centers, which are operated in cooperation with the United States, in militarized areas. Personnel tasked with protecting aid convoys have also been shot. The victims have often been in places that ambulances could not reach.
Lack of drinking water
There is also not enough drinking water. On the one hand, because there is no fuel for the pumps. And on the other hand, some wells are inaccessible due to the dangerous situation. Sewage flows into the streets and diseases are spreading. The medical facilities that have remained undamaged also lack the means for the most basic needs. The population is concentrated in 17 percent of the territory of the Gaza Strip, the UN representative said./ DW