UN Flags Rising Gaza Civilian Casualties Amid Severe Aid Barriers
(MENAFN) The United Nations issued a stark warning Tuesday about ongoing Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip, highlighting mounting civilian casualties and escalating devastation amid critical humanitarian access barriers.
Referencing data from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric revealed, "Israeli military operations, including air strikes and shelling, continued across multiple areas, causing more civilian casualties, widespread displacement, and the destruction of critical infrastructure."
He emphasized the disproportionate suffering of noncombatants, stating civilians "continue to bear the brunt of hostilities, destruction and mass displacement, with women and girls among those most at risk."
Efforts by humanitarian organizations to provide essential aid remain severely hampered. Dujarric explained, "humanitarian partners face severe physical and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent the delivery of life-saving assistance at the scale required."
OCHA reports that aid deliveries are routinely delayed due to "complex authorization and inspection procedures, limited clearance capacity at crossings, and unpredictable rejections of pre-cleared cargo by Israeli authorities continue to delay humanitarian movements and aid delivery."
On Monday, only “eight out of 20 missions coordinated by the UN with Israeli authorities were facilitated, including the collection of supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing," while the remainder faced cancellation, denial, or obstruction.
Calling for urgent policy changes, Dujarric insisted, "For a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations, additional crossing points must be opened, and restrictions on the entry and movement of humanitarian aid inside Gaza must be lifted without delay."
Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, predominantly women and children. The relentless bombardment has rendered the territory nearly unlivable, triggering massive displacement, starvation, and outbreaks of disease.
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