UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the “endless catalogue of horrors” in Gaza, calling for accountability and warning of potential war crimes.
“Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies, and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” Guterres told journalists.
The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said food aid reaching Gaza still remains far from enough to prevent widespread starvation.
“We’re getting a little bit more food in. We’re moving in the right direction … but it’s not nearly enough to do what we need to do to make sure that people are not malnourished and not starving,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said as quoted by Reuters news agency.
McCain said the WFP is now able to deliver about 100 aid trucks per day into Gaza, but this figure still falls far short of the 600 trucks that were entering daily during the ceasefire.
A report released on Friday by the global hunger monitor, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), said that approximately 514,000 Palestinians – nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population – are currently facing famine conditions in Gaza City and surrounding areas.
Israel has repeatedly dismissed such findings as false and biased in favour of the Palestinian group Hamas.
‘No more excuses’
Meanwhile, in a post on X on Thursday, UN chief Guterres urged Israel to ensure the provision of food, water, medicine, and other essentials to the Gaza population amid widespread famine.
“Israel, as the occupying Power, has clear obligations. It must ensure the provision of food, water, medicine, and other essentials,” Guterres stated.
“It must agree to and facilitate far greater humanitarian access. It must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
The UN chief urged Israeli authorities to end the destruction of the besieged Gaza Strip. “And it must end the destruction of that which is indispensable for the survival of the civilian population in Gaza,” Guterres stated
Guterres also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
“I appeal once again for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access across Gaza, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
“No more excuses. No more obstacles. No more lies,” the UN chief stated.
https://x.com/antonioguterres/status/1961064547541827761
Since October 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment in Gaza, killing more than 62,800 people, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian territory’s health ministry.
‘Utter devastation’
The WFP chief, who visited Deir al Balah and Khan Younis this week – including a clinic supporting children and pregnant and lactating women – highlighted ongoing difficulties in delivering aid to vulnerable populations deep inside Gaza.
“What we saw was utter devastation. It’s basically flattened, and we saw people who are very seriously hungry and malnourished,” McCain said as quoted by Reuters.
“It proved my point that we need to be able to get deep into it (Gaza) so we can make sure that they can consistently have what they need,” she said.
She said that a modest improvement in getting commercial food and supplies into Gaza had helped prices fall, but said that most people still cannot afford food.
The IPC report also warned that famine could spread to the central and southern districts of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.
McCain described the IPC report as the “gold standard” for measuring food insecurity and urged for a scale-up of aid into the enclave.
