UN official urges Israel to lift aid blockade of Gaza and calls it 'cruel collective punishment'

JERUSALEM — The United Nations humanitarian chief pressed Israel on Thursday to end its restriction on aid into Gaza, labeling the cessation of assistance a “cruel form of collective retribution”.

Aid Embargo Sparks Global Concern

Israel has impeded any relief supplies from entering Gaza since the conclusion of a truce in March, pushing the territory into what is presumed to be the most severe humanitarian catastrophe in approximately 19 months of combat. Israel claims that both measures are designed to compel Hamas to release any remaining captives and to disarm.

The conflict commenced when Hamas-led fighters launched an offensive against southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. Hamas is still detaining 59 hostages, with 24 believed to be alive. The rest have mostly been freed through ceasefire agreements or other negotiations.

United Nations advocacy for aid flow resumption

Tom Fletcher, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, stated Thursday that while hostages must be liberated and should never have been seized, international law necessitates that Israel permit humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Humanitarian assistance, and the civilian lives it preserves, should never be employed as a bargaining tool,” he declared in a statement. “Denying aid starves civilians and leaves them deprived of essential medical aid. It dehumanizes and removes hope from them. It imposes a cruel form of collective retribution. Denying aid results in fatalities.”

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, has reported severe deficiencies in:

• Food
• Water
• Medicine

in Gaza as medical services crumble and relief kitchen shut down due to a scarcity of provisions. Hospitals have documented a sharp rise in cases of malnutrition among expectant and nursing mothers, with most newborns now born underweight

Floader asserted that “the humanitarian movement is autonomous, impartial, and unbiased. We maintain that all civilians are equally deserving of defense.”

Israel’s proposed relief distribution plans

Floader stated that a recent offer by Israeli authorities regarding strategies to distribute aid “fails to meet the minimum criteria for principled humanitarian support.” Israel has put forth distributing relief supplies in Gaza or contracting private companies for the task.

The United Kingdom added its voice to appeals for aid to be allowed into Gaza

“The healthcare network in Gaza is on the brink of collapse,” the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office posted on X. “Supply of aid must be permitted. Medical professionals require protection, and the injured need a temporary exit from Gaza for treatment.”

Rocket Attacks Persist

Two dozen individuals were killed and dozens more were injured, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported in Israel’s ongoing barrage of rocket attacks on the blockaded territory. The reported death toll surpasses 52,400 in the Gaza strip since the initiation of the conflict. Additionally, over 2,300 of the deceased have succumbed since the ceasefire’s collapse on March 18.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and militant fatalities but claims that over half of the deceased have been women and children. Israel says it has taken the lives of more than 20,000 militants, without offering specifics on these fatalities.

Casualties and Injuries Documented

The casualties include

• The bodies of 18 individuals and 77 injured individuals brought by hospitals in the past 24 hours.

and bodies of eight more people—comprising three children and three females—the arrived at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, the hospital reported later that day.