Gaza on the Brink as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is intensifying at an alarming rate, with UN officials warning that all aid operations could grind to a halt within just 2-3 days, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.
The situation in Gaza, which is under intense Israeli attacks, continues to be “catastrophic” and is worsening day by day, said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Gaza.
Over 450,000 Palestinians have already fled their homes in Rafah following Israeli demands for evacuation on May 6th.
Those displaced are seeking refuge in overcrowded areas like al-Mawasi and Khan Younis, but face a severe lack of basic necessities. “There is no sanitation, food or shelter in the places they are fleeing to,” Cherevko stressed. “It’s difficult to put into words how terrible the conditions are.”
The UN official noted that Gaza’s infrastructure has been devastated, with less than a third of hospitals able to provide partial services. The UN on Wednesday reported that there are “now eight functional field hospitals” in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
To make matters worse, the closure of the Rafah border crossing by Israeli forces on May 6th has completely halted the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
“Around 2,000 trucks loaded with vital supplies are now stranded, unable to enter Gaza,” Cherevko said. With existing aid stockpiles critically low, she warned that “everything runs on fuel, and unless that situation changes, we only have two to three days until all humanitarian operations will come to a halt.”
The UN is urgently calling for the immediate reopening of border crossings and a substantial increase in humanitarian aid to avert a catastrophic collapse in Gaza.
