With Gaza under siege by Israeli armed forces after Hamas’ deadly surprise incursion into Israel, international aid organizations trying to help the innocents caught up in the fighting are urgently appealing for a humanitarian corridor in Gaza and adherence to international law.
Israel advised the 1.1 million people living in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday to move south within the next 24 hours "for their own safety" before air strikes begin. Hamas urged people to stay and called the evacuation order “psychological war.”
The United Nations said such an evacation would be impossible without causing a devastating humanitarian fallout. As Palestinians followed the Israeli military's orders and fled northern Gaza, the U.N. Security Council met on Friday to talk about the Israel-Hamas war.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters the situation in Gaza has reached "a dangerous new low," with the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and injured thousands more last Saturday followed by an intense bombardment of Gaza that has already killed 1,800 people, and injured thousands more.
"Moving more than 1 million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous – and in some cases, simply not possible," Guterres said.
"Hospitals in the south of Gaza are already at capacity and will not be able to accept thousands of new patients from the north. The health system is on the brink of collapse. Morgues are overflowing; eleven healthcare staff have been killed while on duty; and there have been 34 attacks on health facilities in the past few days," he said. "The entire territory faces a water crisis as infrastructure has been damaged and there is no electricity to power pumps and desalination plants."
The U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Program, and other aid groups pressed their case for combatants to agree to the creation of a safe corridor in and out of Gaza that would allow for the delivery of much-needed supplies into the Palestinian enclave, after Israel cut off access to basic needs such as water, electricity and fuel.
Israeli pounded the sealed-off Gaza Strip with intensifying air strikes and appeared to be readying a ground invasion to punish the Islamist group Hamas for its unprecedented surprise attack by air, sea and land over the weekend. The militants massacred civilians at Israeli villages and a crowded music festival, carrying out the most lethal attacks in modern Israel's 75-year history.
Israel declared war on Hamas, which also abducted dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers along with foreigners. The scale and speed of what's been unfolding is "bone-chilling," said OCHA's chief Martin Griffiths, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
Hundreds of Israelis have been killed and thousands have been injured, while scores are being held captive, facing appalling threats to their lives, and thousands of indiscriminate rockets have been launched into Israel, said Griffiths. In densely populated Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured in intense bombing, he said. Homes, health centers and schools sheltering displaced families have been hit, while Gaza is under a siege order.
Hundreds of thousands of the 2.2 million residents in Gaza have been displaced after fleeing for fear of their lives or their houses were destroyed by airstrikes, according to OCHA.
Most are taking shelter in schools operated by UNRWA, the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees, including at least two damaged by air strikes. The numbers of those affected by the hostilities were only expected to increase; UNRWA said Wednesday that nine of its staff had died.
"My message to all sides is unequivocal: The laws of war must be upheld," Griffiths said. "The whole region is at a tipping point. The violence must stop."
Griffiths said those who are being held captive must be treated humanely, and the hostages must be released without delay. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected, he said, and civilians must be allowed to leave for safer areas while humanitarian relief and vital services and supplies to Gaza is allowed in.
A humanitarian and human rights "powder keg"
Separately, the U.N. human rights chief issued an urgent plea to all nations to do what they could to defuse the situation in Israel and Gaza, emphasizing that international humanitarian law and international human rights law must always be respected.
“We are faced with an explosive powder keg situation. We know how this plays out, time and time again – the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives and incalculable suffering inflicted on both communities,” said Volker Türk, head of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR.
“All parties must respect international humanitarian law. They must immediately cease attacks targeting civilians and attacks expected to cause disproportionate death and injury of civilians or damage to civilian objects," he said.
Türk said he was “deeply shocked and appalled by allegations of summary executions of civilians, and, in some instances, horrifying mass killings by members of Palestinian armed groups.”
“It is horrific and deeply distressing to see images of those captured by Palestinian armed groups being ill-treated, as well as reports of killings and the desecration of their bodies,” he said. “Civilians must never be used as bargaining chips.”
OHCHR said the siege ordered by Israel also is "prohibited under international humanitarian law," and the agency gathered information indicating Israeli air operations hit large residential towers in Gaza City and other residential buildings across Gaza, schools and premises of UNRWA, resulting in civilian casualties.
"Any restrictions on the movement of people and goods to implement a siege must be justified by military necessity or may otherwise amount to collective punishment," said Türk.
This story has been updated with additional details.
WHO working with Egypt to ensure access
WFP urged “safe and unimpeded humanitarian access” to affected areas and called on both the Israelis and Hamas to “uphold the principles of humanitarian law” and take measures to safeguard the lives and well-being of civilians, including ensuring access to food.
The agency already provides monthly food assistance to about 350,000 Palestinians. Moving forward, the WFP said it would monitor food prices and work with local bakeries to provide fresh bread.
Most shops maintain about one month of food stocks, but there's concern about food hoarding as people do what they can to stock up amid expectations of a prolonged conflict and siege. With Israel cutting off electricity and much of Gaza having only a few hours of power each day, there's worry about spoilage further depleting food supplies.
“As the conflict intensifies, civilians, including vulnerable children and families, face mounting challenges in accessing essential food supplies, with food distribution networks disrupted and food production severely hampered by hostilities,” Rome-based WFP said.
Doctors Without Borders described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and reported “hospitals are overwhelmed.” The U.N.’s World Health Organization said it will transfer medical equipment and supplies from a logistics hub in Dubai to Egypt and work with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to get those supplies into Gaza.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with the Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who agreed to facilitate the delivery of health and other humanitarian supplies to Gaza via the Rafah crossing.
Hospitals in Gaza are operating on auxiliary generators and fuel will likely run out in the coming days. Medical centers have exhausted the supplies WHO put in place before the escalation and the life-saving health response is now dependent on getting new supplies and fuel delivered as quickly as possible.
“The situation is devastating,” said Samer Abdeljaber, the U.N.’s Palestine country director.
