Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs
A team of UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in northern Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said yesterday. The team’s work included delivering medications necessary for reproductive care and anesthesia to Al-Ahli and Sabha hospitals. According to the United Nations daily news bulletin
The team assessed the condition of the coastal road north of the Israeli checkpoint, which was noted to be in very deteriorating condition. Martin Griffiths, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that more than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and that children are starving to death, as hostilities in the Strip enter their sixth month.
On social media, Griffiths said: “The humanitarian community is aware of what needs to be done to save lives in Gaza but we need the right conditions and guarantees. This includes a ceasefire, full compliance with the rules of war, additional entry points into the Strip and more supply routes and storage capacity.” in Gaza and improving the protection of relief convoys.”
Those conditions also include, Griffiths said, the free and safe movement of humanitarian supplies through checkpoints, road repair, the removal of unexploded devices, and an enhanced role for the commercial sector.
The UN official said that the failure to release the hostages held in Gaza so far should be a matter of grave concern to everyone.
For its part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed fears that the catastrophic situation in Gaza may slide deeper into the abyss “if Israel launches its threatened military attack on Rafah” while the Palestinians prepare to welcome the holy month of Ramadan, a period aimed at revering peace. And tolerance.
“Today we enter the sixth month of a brutal conflict that has destroyed the lives and homes of countless Palestinians, as well as Israelis,” UNHCR spokesman Jeremy Lawrence said at the UN agencies’ press conference in Geneva.
He pointed out that Rafah has 1.5 million displaced people living in miserable and inhumane conditions. He stressed that any ground attack on Rafah would lead to heavy loss of life and increase the risk of more brutal crimes, adding, "This must not be allowed to happen."
The Commission also expressed its fear that imposing further Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan would inflame tensions. He affirmed the Commission's calls to put an immediate end to this conflict and stop the killing and destruction. He reiterated the need to release the hostages, who have so far endured more than 150 days of suffering and torment, unconditionally and return them to their grieving families.
"stain"
The UNHCR spokesperson said that Israel, as the occupying power, must fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law to provide the increasingly desperate civilian population of Gaza with the necessary food and medical supplies, or, if it is unable to do so, ensure that the population To receive vital life-saving humanitarian assistance commensurate with their needs.
He stressed that border crossings and corridors should be fully opened, and the necessary steps should be taken to ensure the free and safe movement of aid convoys to civilians wherever they are inside the Gaza Strip, in order to avoid broader acute hunger and unnecessary suffering.
He pointed out that since October 7, the parties to this conflict have not paid attention to international law that protects human rights and governs the conduct of hostilities, stressing that this “was a stain on the collective conscience of humanity.” He pointed out that the laws of war are clear and must be respected at all times and circumstances, and those who violate them must be held accountable.
He stated that the Commissioner reminds all States Parties that, under Article 1, common to the four Geneva Conventions, they have an obligation to respect and ensure respect for the rules stipulated in those conventions. This obligation not only includes taking all available steps to ensure full compliance by parties participating in hostilities, but also means that States may not, through their policies or actions, facilitate violations of humanitarian law.