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UN warns Gaza humanitarian situation is rapidly worsening as crossings remain closed
Summary
The UN said intensified hostilities and closed crossings are sharply constraining aid delivery to Gaza; WFP and WHO warned of large stockpiles waiting outside Gaza, dwindling shelter items, severe hunger risk, and critical shortages of blood and medical supplies.
The United Nations told staff the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is rapidly worsening as intensified hostilities and closed crossings sharply limit the flow of life-saving aid into Gaza.
The UN said crossings remain fully shut to cargo, including humanitarian items, while hostilities and displacement orders have forced more people to flee and left newly displaced populations in urgent need of food, water, medicine and shelter.
The World Food Programme and partners said they have more than 77,000 metric tons of food supplies staged outside Gaza, ready to enter if crossings reopen, and that WFP is distributing food “as much as possible as quickly as possible” given security constraints. WFP warned that hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are at renewed risk of severe hunger and malnutrition as stocks dwindle.
The World Health Organization warned that Gaza’s health system is in a “free fall,” reporting that fewer than 500 units of blood were available while an estimated 8,000 units are needed each month. The UN also said anesthesia, vaccines and other essential medical supplies are running low amid a sharp rise in trauma cases.
UN colleagues reported that several ambulances belonging to Palestinian civil defense and the Palestinian Red Crescent were hit while attempting to rescue wounded after ground operations in Rafah began on Sunday; some crews became trapped and contacts with teams were lost. UN staff said rescue attempts by OCHA and the Red Crescent were unable to reach certain areas because of insecurity.
The secretary-general told staff that the UN and partners are seizing every opportunity to reach people in need but that full closure of crossings and ongoing hostilities are making large-scale, timely relief increasingly challenging.
