UNITED NATIONS: Top UN officials have demanded an end to the terrible human suffering and humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, about a year into the war between Hamas and Israel.
“These slaughters must end,” they said in a statement inked by the heads of UN agencies that include the World Food Programme and UNICEF along with other aid groups as world leaders gathered in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The statement added that humanitarians must have safe access to those in need. It added that they could not perform their jobs in the face of devastating need and current wave of violence.
The UN has long complained of interruptions to getting help into the Gaza Strip during the war and distributing it amid complete chaos in the besieged enclave. Abou 300 humanitarian aid workers, over two-thirds of them UN staff, have been killed in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
The UN officials stated that the risk of famine persists with about 2.1 million inhabitants still in urgent need of food and livelihood help as humanitarian access remains limited. They added that over 500 strikes on healthcare have been reported in the Gaza Strip.
Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, Colombia, Jordan, Japan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland and the UK stated on Monday that they would team up to develop a declaration for the defense of humanitarian personnel and invite all nations to sign.
