Humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated: UN

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A UN official on Thursday voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and called on Israel to allow aid delivery.

"Humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and all impediments must be lifted," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Haq stressed that access constraints continue to "severely undermine" the delivery of humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza.

He added that between June 1-18, out of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions to northern Gaza, 28 were facilitated by Israeli authorities, eight were denied access, 16 were impeded, and nine were canceled due to logistical, operational or security reasons.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza suffer from poor access to shelter, health, food, water and sanitation, he stressed.

"From 7 to 14 June, OCHA led humanitarian assessments in four displacement sites in the south of Gaza; Deir al Balah, two in Khan Younis and two in Al Mawasi area of Rafah," Haq said, adding access to water is "critically" low, and people have to queue for long hours to collect it and are forced to rely on sea water for domestic use.

"Many households report having only one meal every day, with some having one meal every two or three days, relying mostly on bread, food sharing with other families, and rationing stocks," he added.

Israel, which has flouted a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, has faced international condemnation amid its more than eight-month offensive on the coastal enclave.

More than 37,350 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October, most of them women and children, and over 85,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli war has left vast tracts of Gaza in ruins amid sweeping restrictions on the delivery of badly needed international humanitarian assistance.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge. Israel invaded the southern city on May 6. Hostilities remain ongoing there, and elsewhere in Gaza.