Gaza War: United Nations officials warn against indescribable conditions while children bring the weight

Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Emergency Rescue Coordinator, said there was no more “vocabulary” to properly describe the conditions on the ground.

“” Food is exhausted. Those who seek it may be slaughtered. People want to try to feed their families. Field hospitals receive corpses and medical workers hear first -hand stories from the injured -Day after day, “he said.

Famine rates in children have reached their highest levels in June, with more than 5,800 girls and boys diagnosed as malnutric.

“Last week, in the midst of this hunger crisis, children and women were killed on strike while waiting for food supplements to keep them alive.”

A classroom full of children, lost every day

UnicefCatherine Russell, the director general of Son, told ambassadors that an average of 28 children are killed every day in Gaza – “the equivalent of an entire classroom.”

In the past 21 months, more than 17,000 children have been killed and 33,000 injured in Gaza.

Many of these children, she said, have been struck “while they fed for vital humanitarian aid-additional proof that there is no safe place for civilians nowhere in Gaza.”

“” Children are not political actors. They don’t start conflicts, and they are helpless to stop them. But they suffer greatly, and they wonder why the world has failed them, “she added.

“And don’t be mistaken, we failed them. »»

Collapse of critical infrastructure

The Gaza health system “is broken,” reported Mr. Fletcher – only 17 of the 36 hospitals and 63 of the 170 primary health centers even partially work; The shortages mean up to five babies share an incubator.

Seventy percent of essential drugs are out of stock, half of all medical equipment is damaged, pregnant women give birth without care, women and girls manage their rules without basic supply.

Meanwhile, water production capacity has dropped by leaving the whole enclave (95%) in the face of water insecurity.

“” With clean and more difficult to access water, children have no choice but to drink contaminated water“Said Ms. Russell, noting that this increases the risk of flaming of diseases.

Help aid, fuel at net levels

Mr. Fletcher also described the extent of the challenges to move something as simple as a bag of flour in Gaza.

He noted several layers of approvals that Israel needs, digitization, rebalancing, multiple transfers, damaged roads, delays in the maintenance points, insecurity and desperate civilians grasping truck supplies.

Last week – after almost 130 days – fuel entered Gaza, while the Israeli authorities agreed to authorize two trucks per day, five days a week. However, gasoline – fuel for ambulances and other critical services – has not been authorized.

Between May 19 to July 14, only 1,633 aid trucks-approximately 62% of the charges submitted for authorization-entered Gaza, well below the average of 630 daily trucks moved during the previous ceasefire, said Fletcher.

Call to Israel, Hamas – and council

The two officials have pressed immediate, safe, supported and demilitarized humanitarian access through all the available passages, coherent fuel flows, the protection of civilians at the distribution points and the restoration of the help pipeline not directed by the non-functionalities which briefly worked during the previous breaks in the fighting.

They also reiterated the UN call to the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages held in Gaza and called on all parties – including Hamas and other armed groups – to respect international humanitarian law.

Mr. Fletcher asked the Security advice Evaluate if Israel, as a occupying power, respects its obligations to ensure that food and medical supplies reach civilians.

“We organize all parties to the standards of international law in this conflict. We do not have to choose – and in fact, we must not choose – between requiring the end of the famine of civilians in Gaza and demand the unconditional release of all the hostages“He said.

“We must reject anti -Semitism – we must fight it with each fiber of our DNA. But we must also hold Israel to the same principles and laws as all other states. ”