The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening at an alarming rate, a senior United Nations official warned on Monday, calling the suffering “unbearable” and condemning the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
Speaking to the UN Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East Khaled Khiari reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since mid-June alone, many while seeking aid. Gaza health authorities report over 56,500 Palestinian fatalities since October 7, 2023.
Attacks on civilians trying to access food supplies are rampant, as Khiari cited incidents where the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire near distribution points. On June 17, at least 50 people were killed and 200 injured in Khan Younis when an IDF tank fired on a crowd waiting for UN World Food Program (WFP) aid trucks. A week later, another incident near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites reportedly killed 49 Palestinians and injured 197. He urged an immediate, independent investigation and accountability for perpetrators.
The crisis is exacerbated by Israel’s month-long total blockade on vital aid, including food, water, electricity, fuel, and medicines. This blockade potentially amounts to collective punishment and starvation as a method of war and shows “utter disregard for human life,” according to UN agency chiefs. As of June, the risk of famine in Gaza is increasingly likely, with WFP reporting depleted stocks and 91 percent of Gaza’s population facing crisis-level food insecurity. Acute malnutrition rates among young children have sharply increased.
Fuel is critically needed for life-saving operations, with vital services at risk of shutting down due to “deeply worrisome” shortages. UNRWA, a key aid provider, hasn’t received fuel since March 2.
Over 1.9 million people (90 percent of Gaza’s population) are displaced, many repeatedly. Over four-fifths of Gaza is now within Israeli-militarized zones or under displacement orders. Gaza’s health system faces total collapse, overwhelmed by casualties and a dwindling supply of essential medicines, with nearly half out of stock.
Khiari also noted escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli raids and settler actions, causing fatalities and displacement.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, noting the humanitarian crisis’s “horrific proportions.” Khiari concluded there is “no military path out of the crisis” and urged a political settlement based on a two-state solution.
