UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) — A U.N. spokesman on Thursday highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in the northern Gaza Strip, highlighting significant obstacles to relief efforts.
During the regular press appearance, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said that “between January 1 and 10, only three of the twenty-one planned aid deliveries of food, medicine, water and other supplies to save lives were carried out north.” could be carried out from Wadi Gaza.
He emphasized the crucial role of these supplies, including “medical supplies for Gaza City and fuel for water and sanitation facilities in Gaza City and the north,” both of which were “denied by the Israeli authorities.”
Dujarric compared the current situation with previous months and noted a significant decline in aid revenue. “The admission rate observed in January so far shows a significant deterioration compared to the admission rate in December last year,” he added, pointing to a decline from over 70 percent in December to around 14 percent in early January.
Underscoring the human cost of these restrictions, Dujarric continued: “Every day that we are unable to provide assistance results in death and suffering for hundreds of thousands of people still in northern Gaza.”
Adding to the urgency, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths painted a dire scenario for Gaza's health sector in a social media post. “The health sector in Gaza is slowly suffocating as hospitals continue to come under attack,” he said.
He continued to list the urgent consequences: “Pregnant women cannot give birth to their children safely. Children cannot be vaccinated. Sick and injured people cannot be treated. People die.”
He reminded all parties that “the rules of war are clear and parties must protect civilians, including, of course, humanitarian workers.”