ISTANBUL 

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned Sunday that its medical services in Gaza face a severe shortage of resources due to Israel’s blockade and ongoing genocide.

“Nearly one third of essential supplies are out of stock and another one third are projected to run out in under two months,” the agency said on X.

It warned that its medical services “are critically under-resourced” amid continued siege and ongoing bombardment.

Despite the crisis, UNRWA remains a leading health care provider in the enclave, the agency noted.

Earlier on Friday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that Israel’s siege “will silently kill more children and women in addition to those killed by bombardments.”

The Israeli blockade, which began in early March, has sealed Gaza’s crossings, blocking food, medical aid, and goods, causing a sharp decline in humanitarian conditions, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

On Thursday, the director of Gaza’s government media office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, told Anadolu that the enclave had entered “an advanced stage of famine” due to the continued closure of border crossings since March 2 and Israel’s renewed military onslaught.

Over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many multiple times, living in overcrowded shelters or exposed to the elements, fueling the spread of diseases and epidemics.

More than 52,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November 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.