Organization’s top humanitarian official calls for permanent ceasefire, warns of looming famine and health crisis
The UN’s top humanitarian official warned Sunday of an accelerating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, saying one in three people hasn’t eaten “for days” and children are “wasting away” amid severe food aid shortages.
Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, welcomed Israel’s decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers and easing movement restrictions. Initial reports indicated that more than 100 truckloads of aid were collected from crossings to be transported into Gaza.
“This is progress,” Fletcher said, “but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis.”
He called for urgent, sustained access, faster convoy clearances, multiple daily trips to crossings, consistent fuel supplies and safe humanitarian corridors free from attacks.
“People are being shot just trying to get food to feed their families,” he said. “Aid must not be blocked, delayed or come under fire.”
Fletcher also reiterated the UN’s demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
“Ultimately of course, we don’t just need a pause – we need a permanent ceasefire,” he said.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
