'40,000 lives reportedly gone in just over 10 months in Gaza': UN official

By Merve Berker

At least 40,000 people have died in Gaza “in just about 10 months,” the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said on Monday, adding that the numbers are “possibly” higher.

Philippe Lazzarini described on X what has been going on in Gaza as “a very grim milestone at the world’s watch.”

“40,000 lives reportedly gone in just over 10 months in #Gaza. And possibly, it’s even more,” he lamented, adding: “Whatever dispute there is over the numbers, there is no dispute over the immense suffering.”

“This is a direct result of a collective failure to reach a ceasefire,” the official criticized. “Far too many of those killed are women & children.”

“Among those killed are over 200 @UNRWA team members, more than 100 journalists & way too many health workers,” he stated.

He further called for “a ceasefire, the release of the hostages” and “humanitarian assistance and protection for civilians in Gaza.”

“People are desperate, exhausted & anxious in #Gaza, in #Israel + in many parts of the region,” he stressed.

“Hear them out, for once.”

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 40,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,600, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.