The heads of six UN agencies issued an urgent appeal on Monday, calling for immediate action by world leaders to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to urgently facilitate the delivery of food, water, fuel and humanitarian supplies.

The six agencies include UNICEF, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. The statement claims, “We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life”. The agencies encourage world governments to protect civilians and act to renew a ceasefire.

The agencies also highlighted that new displacement orders from Israel have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee the region without a safe place to go to. According to the official statement, not even aid personnel is safe, as at least 408 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 2023 in the region due to the ongoing conflict.

The blockade to the region resulted in the collapse of critical infrastructure, with hospitals unable to function, food stocks depleted, and water access severely restricted. UNRWA reported that more than 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced, with children especially at risk of malnutrition and disease.

The appeal follows a UN Security Council resolution adopted in December 2023, demanding safe and sustained humanitarian access to Gaza. It also comes just days after the UN condemned the killing of eight Palestinian paramedics, five civil defence first responders and a UN staff member by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Moreover, the UN Human Rights chief had alredy expressed concerns over Israel’s escalation of the war in Gaza in mid-March, and the UN and Arab states condemned Israel for blocking aid to Gaza earlier that month.