UN official: Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe amid a horrific daily increase in the number of victims

Anatolia Agency

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned of the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, noting that the average number of Palestinian deaths per day reached 100 people, as a result of Israeli military operations and the repeated bombing of humanitarian aid distribution points.

Lazzarini said in a post on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), on Wednesday:

“On average, 100 people are killed every day in Gaza, either due to Israeli military attacks, or as a result of the targeting of food distribution points belonging to the so-called ‘Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation’.”

Aid distribution or “death traps”?

Since May 27, 2024, Israel has begun implementing a new mechanism for distributing aid in the Gaza Strip, away from the supervision of the United Nations and international relief organizations, through an entity known as the “Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation.”

The Palestinians describe this mechanism as “death traps”, due to the Israeli army repeatedly targeting civilians waiting to receive food and basic aid.

Victims of hunger and the collapse of the health sector

Lazzarini stressed that the extent of suffering is not limited to the bombing only, but that hunger and lack of medical care lead to the death of additional numbers of Palestinians on a daily basis.

“At a time when many are being killed by bombs and bullets, there are those who are dying of hunger or due to the lack of access to treatment,” he said, adding that “the mounting death toll is fueling a dangerous state of international indifference.”

He warned that the normalization of mass killing and the absence of serious humanitarian responses threaten to create an environment of global neglect of the Palestinian tragedy.

A call for a ceasefire and accountability

Lazzarini renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire, and the opening of international investigations to hold those responsible for crimes committed in Gaza accountable.

A horrific toll since October 7, 2023

Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Palestinian medical sources have recorded alarming numbers, including:

66,148 Palestinian martyrs

168,716 wounded

The majority of them are women and children

455 deaths due to famine and malnutrition, including 151 children

International observers and human rights organizations described these massacres as systematic genocide, carried out with direct support from the United States of America.

Broader political context

Israeli military operations in Gaza take place within the framework of a long-term occupation, as Israel has continued to control the Palestinian territories for decades, in addition to lands in Syria and Lebanon, despite the issuance of dozens of UN resolutions demanding that it withdraw.

Despite the international consensus on the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, Israel continues to refuse withdrawal or full recognition of Palestinian rights.

The American role and diplomatic contradictions

While US President Donald Trump recently announced a plan to end the war in Gaza, Israel continues its comprehensive military operation, which raises questions about the seriousness of US diplomatic efforts and the extent of its ability to stop the bloodshed.

Critics believe that such initiatives are merely media positions unless they are accompanied by actual measures and political pressure on Israel.

A humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before the eyes of the world

Today, the Gaza Strip stands on the verge of complete collapse, with the death toll increasing daily, the infrastructure collapsing, famine spreading, and the health system almost completely shutting down.

The statements of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, represent a final cry of warning: if the international community does not act quickly, the world may be a silent witness to one of the most horrific humanitarian disasters of modern times.