AID workers report catastrophic conditions in Gaza as the two-month blockade of humanitarian supplies has depleted essential resources amid ongoing conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko, reporting from Gaza City, described scenes of desperation as food supplies have been exhausted and access to water has become nearly impossible following the closure of all entry points by Israeli authorities in March.
“Gaza is inching closer to running on empty,” Cherevko told journalists in Geneva on Friday. During her briefing, she noted violent confrontations were occurring nearby as residents fought over water, with rocks being thrown and shots fired at a departing water truck.
The spokesperson provided firsthand accounts of children “deprived of their childhood,” elderly residents searching through garbage for food and fuel, and victims of bombings with no water available to treat their burns.
Healthcare facilities are experiencing critical shortages, with Patient Friends Hospital in Gaza City reporting rising malnutrition rates and hospitals running out of blood units while casualties continue to arrive. Fuel supplies are being strictly rationed.
The humanitarian crisis has been compounded by continued displacement, with OCHA reporting that approximately 420,000 people have been forced to flee in the past six weeks, many “with only the clothes on their backs” and under fire as they travel to overcrowded shelters.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called on Israeli authorities Thursday to “lift this brutal blockade” and “let humanitarians save lives.” While reiterating calls for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack, Fletcher emphasised that “aid, and the civilian lives it saves, should never be a bargaining chip.”
OCHA officials stated they remain in communication with Israeli authorities and are advocating for border crossings to reopen, asserting they have mechanisms to ensure aid reaches intended recipients and are prepared to resume large-scale deliveries once access is restored.
