It would be “impossible” for Israel to establish safe zones for civilians in the Gaza Strip to seek refuge and escape the fighting, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
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“These zones cannot be safe or humanitarian if they are declared unilaterally,” said James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who just spent several days in Palestinian territory.
In a video conference from Cairo, he added that these zones were “not scientific, not rational, not possible.”
“And I think the authorities are aware of that. I think it is heartless and shows increasing indifference towards the children and women of Gaza,” he said, calling the situation “heartbreaking” and “disturbing.”
In recent days, the Israeli army has expanded its ground operations throughout the Gaza Strip, almost two months after the start of the war triggered by the bloody Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which shelled the south of that territory, leaving many dead and Injured claims were among the hundreds of thousands of civilians who sought refuge here.
According to Israel, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in this attack, and around 240 people were kidnapped and taken to the small Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas since 2007.
In its latest report on Monday, the Hamas Health Ministry reported 15,899 dead, 70% of them women and children, and 42,000 injured in Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip.
The Unicef spokesman told journalists in Geneva that one could speak of safety zones if it was possible to guarantee the population access to food, water, medicine and shelter.
He said that what he saw during his trip to Gaza were far from safe areas. He particularly highlighted the lack of toilets and sanitation facilities, which risks turning these places into places where disease could spread.
“Israel is the occupying power, it must provide food, medicine and water. (…) Only a ceasefire will save the children of Gaza,” emphasized Mr. Elder.
