UN Population Fund decries catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza as war rages on
Palestinians identify relatives killed in Israeli bombardment in front of the morgue of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on March 15, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by AFP)
The situation in Gaza is beyond catastrophic, says the United United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, as Israel continues its military attacks on the Palestinian territory.
The UNFPA’s Representative for Palestine, Dominic Allen, said in a virtual briefing about his latest visit to the Gaza Strip that what is going on in Gaza is a nightmare, which is much more than a humanitarian crisis.
He added that it is a crisis of humanity, and the situation is beyond catastrophic.
The representative of the UN agency stressed that aside from violence on the ground, disinformation and narrative also pose a significant problem, adding that the situation is worse than he can describe or that the pictures can show.
Allen expressed significant worry and fear for 1 million women and girls, stating that it is impossible to even explain the scenes in Gaza, highlighting that people are hungry and in “very difficult” conditions.
Recalling that 70% of those killed in Gaza are women and children, Allen said: “Those mothers should be wrapping their arms around their children, those children should not be wrapped in body bags.”
Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which more than 1,000 people were killed and several others taken hostage.
In retaliatory attacks by Israel, at least 31,490 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 73,439 others have been injured amid mass destruction and shortages of basic necessities.
