Location at a glance: UN boss: “Cruelest phase” of the Gaza War

According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are probably the “cruelest phase” in the war that has been going on for more than one and a half years. “The entire population of Gaza is threatened by a famine. Families have to go hungry and the bare essentials are withheld – and all of this in front of the eyes of the world public,” he said. The help that has been coming back into the Gaza Strip for a few days is far from sufficient.

Israel had relaxed an almost three -month blockade of humanitarian aid at the beginning of the week. 400 truck loads approved in the past few days are only a “teaspoon” of the necessary help, said Guterres. A “flood” of goods is required. On Friday, another 83 trucks loaded with flour and medication, among other things, had arrived in Gaza via the Kerem Schalom border crossing, said Israel’s responsible authority Cogat. However, according to UN, at least 500 to 600 truck loads would be necessary.

“Current help like needle in the haystack”

“The current help is like a needle in the haystack,” wrote the head of the UN Palestinian aid Unk, Philippe Lazzarini, on the online platform X. In the sealed coastal area on the Mediterranean, around two million people live, according to a UN report from mid-May, acute death are threatened. The UN would have all the logistical requirements to provide people if Israel allows this, said Guterres. “160,000 pallets are ready to fill almost 9,000 trucks”.

“The rescue of human life must have priority from military and political agendas. The people in Gaza can no longer wait,” wrote Lazzarini. Israel had blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza in March and shortly afterwards ended the ceasefire with the Islamist Hamas. This should increase the pressure on the terrorist organization to relieve the hostages that are still held in the Gaza Strip.

UN organization reports looting

Israel claimed that there was no lack of relief goods. The government accuses Hamas to steal it to make money with what the Islamist organization denies. The UN also say that Israel has not presented any evidence of this. As the United Nations (WFP) world nutrition program announced, 15 trucks of the organization in southern Gazas were looted. This happened on Thursday evening when the cars were on the way to bakeries supported by the WFP, it said.

Anyone who stole the relief goods was not said. Israel’s army and the responsible authority of Cogat initially not commented on the incident on request. Nobody should be surprised or shocked by the looting of relief goods, wrote Lazzarini. “The people in Gaza have been starved”. Older people died because of a lack of medication. In contrast, Israel’s army recently said that the humanitarian situation was always monitored.

“Hunger, despair and the uncertainty as to whether there are further food aid, contribute to the growing uncertainty,” said the explanation of the world nutrition program. “We need the support of the Israeli authorities to bring significantly larger amounts of food aid to Gaza faster, more evenly and on safer routes, as it happened during the arms rest,” it said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s army continued her attacks in Gaza. According to Palestinian information, many victims are said to have again given. On Thursday, several terrorists were “eliminated” and military facilities were hit, the army said. The Air Force attacked more than 75 destinations. The information on both sides cannot currently be checked independently.

The Gaza War triggered the terrorist attack by Hamas and other terrorist organizations from Gaza on October 7, 2023 in Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were dragged into the Gaza strips. Since the beginning of the war, more than 53,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health authority controlled by the Hamas. The authority does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.