By Elizabeth Borrego Rodriguez
Chief United Nations Correspondent
After decades of conflict, Israel's fierce attacks further exacerbated the deteriorating situation in the enclave, where the majority of Palestinian civilians were already in need of humanitarian assistance.
More than two months later, UN organizations are warning of a catastrophe scenario that could worsen with irreversible consequences.
The World Food Program estimates that half of the population dies of hunger, while nine out of ten people cannot eat every day.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the health system remains “on its knees and collapsing.”
“What dismays me is the increasing dehumanization of the crisis,” recently complained Philippe Lazzarini, representative of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The situation in Gaza should outrage everyone and make us rethink our values, he stressed after a visit to the Rafah governorate on the border with Egypt. “This is a defining moment for all of us and our shared humanity,” he noted.
Over the past two weeks, the world's largest political forum has finally raised its demand for an immediate ceasefire, after calling for humanitarian pauses or maximum restraint.
For the first time since taking office, UN Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter in early December to call for an end to hostilities.
This rarely used resource allows the head of the organization to bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his opinion, could jeopardize the maintenance of international peace and security.
Despite the urgency, the path to a unanimous proposal remains fraught with obstacles; The most powerful of these is the United States' veto in the Security Council.
From moderation to finally quitting
Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7 and the occupying forces' response in Gaza a few hours later brought to light hostilities that Guterres himself viewed as a “vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization.”
The United Nations called for maximum restraint, diplomatic efforts and protection of civilians as a first response, recalling that the attacks by the Palestinian resistance were not in vain.
However, the Security Council tried unsuccessfully for weeks to obtain a common binding document calling for an end to the violence, the protection of the population from bombing or the delivery of vital aid.
Between October 16 and November 15, four projects designed by Russia, Brazil and the United States clearly failed due to a lack of unity.
Faced with the incompetence of this body, the General Assembly adopted on October 27 the first instrument of a United Nations agency on the crisis.
With 120 votes in favor, 14 against and 45 abstentions, the non-binding resolution called for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip with an immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire and rejected the forced relocation of Palestinian civilians.
Finally, on November 15, the Security Council called for a humanitarian pause for the enclave, the immediate release of all hostages, and the urgent and expanded creation of humanitarian corridors.
Together with these two, the recent adoption of another final termination document confirms the majority position within the Assembly for an end to the conflict.
On December 12, the UN forum gave the green light to another draft with this demand, which received 153 votes in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions.
The text, previously presented to the Security Council and rejected by the United States, calls for an immediate humanitarian solution, a ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages, as well as greater humanitarian access.
IMPORTANT HELP FOR GAZA
Beyond diplomatic and political efforts, the United Nations continues its assistance, which is considered vital to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, even in the face of Israeli attacks that impose irreversible humanitarian costs.
According to its own statistics, around 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza so far and almost 1.3 million remain housed in UNRWA facilities.
Since the conflict escalated, 130 of the UN agency's local buildings have been damaged and 135 of its staff have died as a result of the attacks, the highest number of humanitarian casualties in any conflict in such a short period of time.
The organization is keeping eight of the 22 UNRWA hospital centers active in areas of the center and south of the enclave, while water and food such as flour, energy bars, cans of protein supplies and cheese continue to arrive.
These efforts have enabled more than nine thousand medical consultations per day, while around 100,000 people have received psychosocial assistance since October 7.
However, UNRWA points out that there is insufficient capacity to respond to needs, particularly for minors, in the enclave, where the population suffers incalculable pain and trauma that is difficult to overcome.
Statistics show that more than 70 percent of the dead are children and women, while thousands remain missing, possibly under the rubble.
The shortage is total because of the siege. There is hardly any food, water, hygiene products or fuel, the agency said in a recent update.
The cold has become another risk for populations that do not have the means to keep warm.
THE DESIRED TWO-STATE SOLUTION
Despite the challenges, the commitment to the creation of two states remains firmly anchored in the demands of the United Nations' key voices.
The intensification of the conflict underlines the urgency of this long-standing wish of the organization, to which Palestine has been a member since 2012 as an observer state.
According to the UN chief, the two-state solution must be irreversibly achieved with a strengthened Palestinian executive.
We need the Palestinian Authority to govern in Gaza and the West Bank, and the conditions for this must be created, the High Representative assured, calling for more support from the international community.
Since 1947, the United Nations has assumed responsibility for finding a just solution to the question of Palestine, but the establishment of a separate state has failed to materialize at one of the worst times for the region.
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