UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Israel’s aggression in Gaza. Speaking at the UN Security Council, Guterres argued that the “attack committed by Hamas did not occur in a vacuum” and said there was a link between them “with the stifling occupation that the Palestinians have lived through for 56 years.”
However, this statement was not well-received by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who reacted angrily and demanded to know, “Mr. Secretary-General, in what world do you live?”
UNRWA Warns of Halting Aid Operations in Gaza
The latest casualty in the war-torn Gaza Strip is the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA), which warned on Wednesday that its relief operations are on the brink of collapsing due to a crippling fuel shortage. The beleaguered territory has been under siege by land, sea and air by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) for over 18 days, which has taken a toll on the already fragile infrastructure of the region.
UNRWA, which aids 600,000 Gazans who have been displaced, pleaded for urgent fuel supplies, stating that “if we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip.” The agency has been providing much-needed assistance to families affected by the conflict, including shelter, food, and medical aid.
The move comes as the death toll in Gaza continues to mount, with over 6,000 Palestinians, many of whom are children, martyred due to the Israeli aggression. Tuesday’s toll — more than 700 people — was the greatest for a single day since the start of the conflict. Over half of the Gaza Strip population, or an estimated 1.4 million people, have been forcibly displaced during this period.
In the meantime, UNRWA’s warning is sounding alarm bells globally, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen with aid supplies increasingly scarce. While some relief organizations have managed to get a few dozen trucks of basic supplies into the region, fuel is still prohibited, putting lives at risk. US officials have hinted that a more constrained “humanitarian pause” would be possible to get aid in, yet concerns remain high over the ongoing Israeli aggression.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
