Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), described the severe lack of aid in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli genocide that has persisted for over 13 months, and emphasized that the living conditions for Palestinians are “unbearable.”
In her press statements, Wateridge remarked, “The humanitarian aid in Gaza is grossly insufficient, not just recently, but throughout the entire 13-month duration of the Israeli war.”
She reflected the grim reality of the daily struggle in Gaza, stating, “We encounter people every day who are desperate for a piece of bread and access to water.”
Wateridge stressed that the conditions Palestinians are forced to endure in Gaza are “intolerable.”
Recently, international and UN organizations have warned of an impending famine in northern Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli assault since October 5 and a severe military blockade that has halted the entry of essential supplies, including food, water, and medicine.
In recent weeks, a severe crisis has emerged in central and southern Gaza, with markets and homes running out of flour and basic necessities. People are now forced to use spoiled flour to feed their families and resort to unhealthy alternatives.
Palestinians in Gaza and northern Gaza face a severe shortage of food, water, medicine, and fuel due to the Israeli blockade imposed since the start of its ground invasion on October 27, 2023, leading to the deaths of dozens of children and elderly individuals.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, the occupying power, has been bombing, besieging and destroying every part of the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, clinics, schools, UNRWA facilities, resulting in over 147,000 casualties, most of them children and women, with more than 10,000 missing persons.
This ongoing genocide has caused extensive destruction and famine, claiming the lives of dozens of children and elderly people in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate halt to the onslaught and for immediate orders from the International Court of Justice to take measures to prevent further acts of aggression and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel continues to escalate bombing, destruction and siege.
On Friday, Day 406 of the ongoing genocide, Israeli missiles and shells killed and injured many Palestinians across the devastated, starved and besieged Gaza Strip.
The preliminary death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has reached 43,736 killed and 103,370 wounded.
Among the slain Palestinians are at least 17,385 children, 11,891 women, 2,421 elderly people, 183 journalists, 85 emergency responders, 1,054 medical staff, 496 education staff, and 203 UNRWA staff.
Reports also indicate that there are thousands of victims who are still trapped under the rubble or in the streets, where it is impossible to reach them due to the ongoing bombing.
