Translated with AI
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as a "21st century atrocity." He said this on Tuesday, speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Fletcher said vital goods and services, including food, medicine, water and basic supplies, had been denied to Gaza for more than 10 weeks.
"Israel is deliberately and shamelessly imposing inhumane conditions on the civilian population in the occupied Palestinian territory," he stressed, adding that 2.1 million Gazans are on the brink of starvation and one in five are at risk of dying from starvation, despite the availability of internationally funded humanitarian aid.
He noted that the few hospitals that are still functioning after the bombings are overcrowded, and medical staff cannot cope with the flow of wounded and the spread of infections.
Fletcher cited the testimony of a nurse he spoke to during a visit to Gaza: "The children scream as we remove the burnt clothes from their bodies."
The UN representative was particularly critical of Israel's proposed system for distributing humanitarian aid, calling it incompatible with international norms and fundamental humanitarian principles. According to him, such an approach will result in humanitarian aid not reaching vulnerable groups of the population, including people with disabilities, women, children, the elderly and the wounded.
Fletcher also highlighted the worsening situation in the West Bank, describing it as “the worst in decades.” He cited incidents of violence by Israeli settlers, including with the support of security forces. In one egregious incident, he cited settlers abducting a 13-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother, who were later found tied to a tree.
Calling on all parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, the UN representative called on the Israeli authorities to stop killing and injuring civilians, lift the blockade of Gaza and ensure access for humanitarian workers to save lives.
He also called on Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups to immediately and unconditionally release all hostages and stop endangering civilians in the fighting.
In closing, Fletcher warned of the inevitable responsibility of the international community to future generations for what is happening in Gaza.
"We, who are sitting in this room, will be held accountable by future generations. And […] we should fear this trial," he concluded.
