UNITED NATIONS, Sep 07 (APP): There is a “narrow window” to prevent famine from spreading further in Gaza, a top U.N. humanitarian official said on Sunday, calling on Israel to allow unimpeded aid delivery in the territory, where it is fighting Palestinian militant group Hamas.
According to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already experiencing or at risk of famine in areas including Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre, where Israel has launched a new offensive against Hamas.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, spoke amid what he described as “a massive military offensive” by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza City and the failure of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas militants.
By the end of September, famine will likely have spread into Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, he said, unless there is a huge influx of humanitarian aid: “Death, destruction, starvation and displacement of Palestinian civilians are the result of choices that defy international law and ignore the international community.”
The horror can be stopped, he continued, if aid is allowed in at scale.
Fletcher called again for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the release of all hostages held inside Gaza by Hamas and other militants and the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians.
He also insisted on the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) provisional measures, which call for the prevention of genocidal acts and the immediate and effective delivery of urgent basic services to Gaza’s civilian population.
Ahead of a second airstrike on a Gaza City high-rise apartment block on Saturday in as many days, which Israeli forces claimed was being used by Hamas, which the militant group denied, Israel reportedly dropped leaflets warning residents to relocate to the south.
UN News’s correspondent spoke to families trying to survive in the city amid Israel’s ongoing offensive, who are facing an impossible choice over staying or fleeing.
Abu Amer al-Sharif said, “We are at a loss,” sitting in front of what remains of his house in the city that used to be home to over one million people.
They had salvaged some belongings, but moving again seemed a daunting task.
“You know the financial burden, including transportation costs and rent for new housing. There are no salaries from the authorities and people have no income. Families are required to pay thousands of dollars for the places they move to, in addition to transportation costs. On top of that, our property is damaged,” Abu Amer was quoted as saying.
In the same neighborhood, UN NEWS describes Hossam Madi standing amid the rubble of his home, breaking up furniture to sell as firewood.
“We don’t have enough money to move to the southern Gaza Strip,” he said bluntly.
Saqr Abu Sultan said he wasn’t sure where they were headed, loading his family’s belongings onto a three-wheeled cart in preparation for leaving the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
“The situation is chaotic now. We’re trying to evacuate, but we don’t know where to go, despite the constant talk of safe areas,” he said.
APP/ift