The UN on Monday marked 50 days since Israel imposed a complete blockade on humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, warning of a rapidly deteriorating situation that is endangering the lives of civilians.
“Today marks 50 days since the Israeli authorities have completely blocked incoming supplies of any kind into the Gaza Strip,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.
Citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said: “Since early March, not a single truck carrying food, fuel, medicine or any other essentials have been allowed in no matter how critical they are for people’s survival.”
Warning over the “dangerously low” food stocks in the enclave, Dujarric said: “Rations have been cut. Critical medicines, vaccines and medical supplies are all running low.”
“Ambulances have had to scale back life-saving services because there’s almost no fuel to power these ambulances. Cooking gas has disappeared from markets. Bakeries have been forced to shut down,” he said.
He warned that “the impact of the full block of this continued blocking of humanitarian aid is devastating. Children and adults alike are going hungry. Access to health care is falling apart,” adding that “attacks on civilians, including emergency teams and aid workers have surged again.”
Following Israel’s internal probe into an airstrike that killed aid workers in Rafah, Dujarric said: “Based on those findings, it is clear that too many civilians, including aid workers, have been killed in Gaza.”
“There needs to be accountability, and serious accountability for all those who’ve committed them,” he stressed, noting that a UN investigation would require a specific mandate.
On the ceasefire talks, Dujarric said: “All we can hope for is for an agreement to be reached to ensure that humanitarian aid once again flows freely and unhindered into Gaza.”
The Israeli army resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Overall, it has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.
Israel halted the delivery of aid to the enclave on March 2, hours after the end of truce deal’s 42-day first phase.