NEW YORK, (PIC)
A senior UN humanitarian official has said that the whole population of north Gaza, currently trapped by Israeli forces under heavy bombardment, is at risk of death.
“The entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of death. Israeli forces cannot be allowed to continue what they are doing in besieged northern Gaza,” the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya said in a statement.
“Families have been separated and men and boys are being taken away by the truckload” Msuya continued.
“Shelters have been emptied and burned down,” she added.
For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed shock at the “harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction” in north Gaza amid an ongoing intense Israeli military operation.
“The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in North Gaza is unbearable,” read a statement from the UN chief’s Spokesperson.
Guterres warned that the “widespread devastation and deprivation” caused by Israel’s military operations – particularly around Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun – have made life “untenable” for the Palestinian population there.
Despite repeated efforts to deliver essential humanitarian supplies, including food, medicine, and shelter, access continues to be denied by Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in jeopardy, the statement added.
Over the past three weeks, Israel has besieged the northern Gaza, killing at least 820 people and blocking off any water, food or humanitarian aid while preventing people from entering or exiting.
Israeli forces have stormed hospitals and medical facilities in the north, with displacement shelters also bombarded.
