DaysofPal – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has delivered a scathing rebuke of Israel’s continued obstruction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, warning that families are being deliberately starved while the world watches “in real time.”
Speaking at a press briefing, Guterres condemned both Israel and the newly proposed U.S.- and Israeli-backed “Gaza humanitarian foundation,” a scheme designed to bypass the United Nations by transferring aid distribution to private contractors.
He stated unequivocally that the UN will not support any endeavor that violates “international law and humanitarian principles, such as impartiality, independence, and neutrality.”
“Families are being starved and deprived of the most necessities, under the eyes of the world,” Guterres said, referencing the latest findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which found that the entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine.
Despite widespread international concern, Guterres said Israel continues to block essential aid, including “fuel, shelter, cooking gas, and water purification supplies.”
He emphasized that the UN currently has 160,000 pallets of food, enough to fill 9,000 trucks, ready to enter Gaza if Israel gives the green light.
“For 80 days, Israel has blocked the entry of life-saving international relief into the Strip,” Guterres said, warning that Palestinians are enduring “what could be the most severe phase of this cruel conflict.”
The Secretary-General acknowledged that a few aid trucks have recently been approved. “In recent days, some 400 trucks have been approved to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but only 115 trucks have delivered supplies, and nothing has reached the besieged north,” he noted.
He described the current trickle of aid as grossly insufficient. “All the aid that has been approved so far amounts to a teaspoon of help, while the need requires a flood of aid,” he said.
He also pointed to “strict quotas, unnecessary delays, and the denial of essential supplies,” which have severely hampered the UN’s response.
Guterres also raised alarm about the conditions faced by humanitarian workers. “The lives of our staff are at risk if we continue to be prevented from distributing food parcels and wheat flour directly to people in desperate need,” he warned, adding that the UN continues to demand “safety and security measures for aid convoys.”
Highlighting the intensification of Israel’s military campaign, Guterres said, “80 percent of Gaza is now categorized as military zones or areas where residents have been ordered to leave,” and that the death toll and destruction are escalating at “appalling levels.”
The Secretary-General reminded Israel of its legal obligations under international humanitarian law. “Israel must treat civilians humanely while respecting their inherent dignity.
It must not forcibly transfer or displace the civilian population in an occupied territory. As the occupying power, it must agree to allow and facilitate the required assistance.”
Since March 2, Israel has maintained a near-total closure of crossings, effectively starving Gaza’s population of 2.2 million. Aid shipments have piled up at border points while a severe famine takes hold inside the Strip, claiming the lives of many, particularly children.
Guterres concluded with a stark warning: “More people will die, and the long-term consequences for the entire population will be dire if urgent, safe, and sustained humanitarian access is not reliably allowed.”
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