A UN official in Gaza: Israel’s support for relief is almost non-existent and famine may have already occurred

Georgios Petropoulos was speaking to reporters in New York via video from Rafah, south of Gaza. He said that United Nations humanitarian agencies are present in the Strip and continue their work to support two million people who have suffered for more than 14 months to survive, but they are prevented from performing their work.

He added: “The effectiveness of the response should not be measured by the number of trucks arriving in Gaza, but by whether people are safe from hunger, rain and disease and whether they are able to access adequate health care facilities, protection and even safe drinking water.”

He added that the supplies actually reaching Gaza residents are a very small fraction of what was arriving before the war or during its first months. He stated that the degree of support by the Israeli authorities for UN relief operations in Gaza is almost non-existent.

Petropoulos said that Israel imposes a comprehensive ban on almost everything, noting that it prevents commercial imports, constantly obstructs the entry of humanitarian equipment and supplies, and often rejects the movement of aid workers within the Gaza Strip.

Reject practical solutions

He added: “It appears that the Israeli authorities and the army are unwilling to simultaneously open multiple entry points at the same time, which is important given the volume of supplies we have. The main crossing into southern Gaza – where the majority of the Strip’s population is located – Kerem Shalom is exactly where criminals are waiting to loot.” “Almost all of our convoys.”

The official at the Office of Humanitarian Affairs said that looting has become armed, violent and systematic, and that truck drivers are repeatedly subjected to attacks, injuries and even murder, and that the warehouses of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations are subject to attacks.

He added: “We are unable to solve the problem of the absence of the rule of law at this stage. The problem has become too big for us aid workers to solve. We have repeatedly called for improving the situation, such as preventing cigarette smuggling, but these calls do not seem to have any resonance. When we raise these matters with… “The Israeli authorities are rejecting virtually every practical solution we propose.”

Georgios Petropoulos said that the Israeli authorities “Continues targeting civilian police inside Gaza.” It refuses to allow alternative routes for supply convoys, and it refuses to allow private sector imports that may lead to lower prices and discourage plundering.

Interference in humanitarian activities

In cases where Israeli forces allow humanitarian activities, these operations face direct interference – as Petropoulos said – such as issuing orders not to deliver fuel to specific locations, including generators in hospitals or shelters, and to work only in specific areas where no evacuation orders have been issued.

And he said: “Where we are in Gaza, the aid system seems to be being used as a weapon. As a result, what we are able to provide to people is only a fraction of what they need. Every day, aid workers in Gaza are forced to make horrific decisions: Do we leave people to die of hunger or cold, do we bring in more? Whether it is food to relieve hunger or plastic sheets to protect them from the rain at night.”

He stated that the people in Gaza are exhausted and that this exhaustion appears clearly on them whether in the streets or in the hospitals. He suggested that famine had already occurred in Gaza. He said that the Famine Review Committee called for immediate action 42 days ago within days, not weeks, but nothing happened.

Siege in North Gaza Governorate

He spoke about the besieged areas in the north of Gaza Governorate, and said that military operations intensified in these areas 75 days ago, as an almost complete siege was imposed on everyone there. The governorate’s population ranges between 30 and 50 thousand people.

He said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was receiving frightening reports of large numbers of casualties, the untold destruction of entire towns, communities and neighborhoods, and the continuing bombing of hospitals and shelters.

He reported that access to that area had been halted since October 6, and that approximately 150 requests or attempts to reach North Gaza Governorate were rejected by Israeli forces.

Petropoulos expressed his hope that UN member states would fulfill their obligations in accordance with international humanitarian law and use their influence to ensure the protection of civilians, enable adequate and timely aid to reach those in need, reach a ceasefire, release hostages, stop atrocities, and allow humanitarian workers to do their work.