UN remains 'very focused' on dire humanitarian situation in Gaza

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN said Thursday that efforts remain 'very focused' on the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip despite the distracting effect of tensions between Iran and Israel.

Asked whether the rift between Israel and Iran has diverted attention from the crisis in Gaza, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that it is possible to observe such a trend when looking at the news.

Dujarric, however, noted that the UN must be able to focus on multiple crises simultaneously.

Citing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' thoughts on the Iran-Israel tension, Dujarric said, "As you see from this podium, we've also been very focused on keeping attention on the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza."

Nearly 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 76,800 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.