UN: Living conditions in Gaza amount to most serious int’l crimes

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared yesterday that “conditions for Palestinians in Gaza are appalling and apocalyptic,” warning that “What we are seeing may well amount to the gravest international crimes.”

In a speech read by his deputy, Amina Mohammed, at a Gaza aid conference in Cairo, Guterres urged the international community to “build a foundation for sustainable peace in Gaza and across the Middle East.”

He stressed the repercussions of the conflict and the urgent need for international action.

“Malnutrition is rampant. Famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed.”

Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita anywhere in the world — many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia.

The secretary-general also criticised the severe restrictions on aid delivery, noting that “the entry of goods into Gaza is grossly insufficient, inconsistent and unpredictable — a drop in an ocean of need.”

According to statistics from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), only 65 aid trucks were able to enter Gaza in the past month, compared with an average of 500 before the war. No aid has been allowed into northern Gaza in November.

International aid agencies have repeatedly expressed concern about the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, warning that civilians are on the brink of starvation. They said that aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave have reached their lowest level since the war began.

“Let’s be clear: The nightmare in Gaza is not a crisis of logistics,” Gueterres said, “It’s a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”

UNRWA said all its attempts to deliver aid to northern Gaza were either blocked or obstructed by Israel between 6 October and 25 November.

READ: ‘Humanitarian situation in Gaza is a moral stain on us all’: UN chief