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UN: Civilians in Gaza ‘not safe anywhere’ as humanitarian access shrinks and hospitals are destroyed
Summary
UN spokesperson said OCHA, UNRWA and WHO reports show widespread evacuation orders, severe restrictions on aid movement and the destruction of functioning hospitals, while thousands await medical evacuation and aid deliveries are impeded by insecurity at crossings.
The United Nations warned on Wednesday that civilians across the Gaza Strip are "not safe anywhere," citing new evacuation orders, severely restricted humanitarian movement and the destruction of hospitals that had been serving the wounded.
UN spokesperson Farhan summarized findings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), saying recent Israeli evacuation orders cover about 3 square kilometers in northern Gaza and that "over 80% of the Gaza Strip is under unrevoked Israeli evacuation orders." He also relayed UNRWA's assessment that the destruction of the Kamal Adwan Hospital has left large areas of northern Gaza without functioning hospitals.
Why it matters: The UN said restrictions on movement and insecurity at crossings are sharply reducing the ability of humanitarian organizations to deliver life-saving aid. OCHA told the UN that December saw some of the toughest restrictions on humanitarian movement recorded, with a substantial share of UN movements denied or disrupted.
Farhan gave the following operational figures reported by UN agencies: 39% of UN attempts to move aid workers anywhere in Gaza were denied by Israeli authorities, 18% were disrupted, and in besieged areas of northern Gaza access has been denied for 88 consecutive days since Oct. 6, 2024. He also relayed WHO figures that more than 12,000 people in Gaza still require medical evacuation.
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini, in a statement cited by the spokesperson, said the situation "is another reminder that there is no humanitarian zone, let alone a safe zone," and warned that "every day without a ceasefire will bring more tragedy." The UN spokesperson repeated the call that hospitals be treated as off-limits and that all feasible steps be taken to protect and preserve the lives of injured and sick people housed there.
Journalists at the briefing raised the issue of aid consignments waiting at crossings. "According to COGAT, there are currently approximately 800 trucks worth of aid waiting to be collected from the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing," a reporter said. Farhan responded that insecurity at Kerem Shalom — including reported looting, shootings and a lack of safety for drivers — has frequently prevented safe collection and movement of supplies. "Getting aid in doesn't simply mean dumping it off at a point, but ensuring that they can get there safely," he said, adding the UN is working with Israeli and Palestinian authorities to secure safe movement for personnel and consignments.
The spokesperson emphasized that access problems are not solved solely by delivering items to a border point, noting multiple instances where deliveries could not reach people in need because of insecurity, looting or lack of safe movement corridors.
The UN said it and humanitarian partners are trucking water to areas with disrupted supplies, planning to install new water tanks, arranging vacuum sewage operations and distributing hygiene kits and emergency cash in affected localities.
The Security Council is scheduled to hear a briefing from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on the situation tomorrow, according to the spokesperson.
Ending: The UN reiterated its call for unhindered humanitarian access, protection of medical facilities and the urgent creation of safe conditions for personnel to move supplies into and within Gaza.
