The general secretary of the Norwegian Refugee Council said people in Gaza were “beyond breaking point” and families, widows and children were enduring “almost unprecedented suffering”.
Jan Egeland visited Gaza this week and saw “scene after scene of absolute despair” as families were torn apart and unable to bury their dead relatives. He said Israel had “made populated areas uninhabitable” with weapons supplied by Western countries.
“This is by no means a legitimate response, a targeted 'self-defense' operation to dismantle armed groups, or a war consistent with humanitarian law,” he said.
“The families, widows and children I spoke to are enduring suffering almost unprecedented in recent history,” he added. “There is no possibility of justifying continued war and destruction.”
almost 2 million people are internally displaced The Gaza Strip faces widespread shortages of food, water and medicine, according to the latest estimates from the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa).
Families are still forced to move from one region to another. The areas designated by the Israeli military for evacuation and forced relocation currently cover 80% of the Gaza Strip. This is how Palestinians Limited to 20% of strips And an Israeli brigadier general said this week that he had no intention of allowing people to return to their homes. Humanitarian law experts say the act constitutes a war crime of forced displacement.
An estimated 100,000 people in northern Gaza are now completely cut off from humanitarian aid and in a desperate situation after a month of new attacks and an escalating siege.
The United Nations condemned this “Unlawful interference with humanitarian assistance” and orders leading to deportation. ”
Most aid remains prevented from leaving the crossing due to insecurity, active hostilities, and widespread destruction. Ann An average of 36 trucks entered Gaza a day in October.This marked the lowest interest rate of the year.
Egeland, a humanitarian leader, former foreign minister and Norwegian diplomat, said he had witnessed “the devastating effects of strangled aid flows”. He added that people went without food for days and drinking water was nowhere to be found.
“Since this war began, not a week has passed without sufficient aid reaching Gaza,” he said.
Last week, Israel's parliament passed a bill that would ban Unruwa from operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories, designate it a terrorist organization, and sever ties with United Nations agencies and the Israeli government.
Egeland said the situation in Gaza was “deadly” for all Palestinians, aid workers and journalists. He said an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and the start of a peace process were needed to prevent the loss of tens of thousands of lives.
“Those in power on all sides act with impunity, but millions of people in Gaza and across the region are paying a terrible price,” he said. “Humanitarians can speak out about what we are seeing, but only those in power can end this nightmare.”
