- 'Tens of thousands of families can no longer secure basic needs, while many Palestinians survive on one meal a day or less,' Ismail al-Thawabteh says
More than 2,700 Palestinian families have been completely wiped out during 1,000 days of Israel's genocide in Gaza, while more than 90% of the enclave has been destroyed, Gaza's Government Media Office said Thursday.
Director-General Ismail al-Thawabteh described the situation as "an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," saying Gaza had moved from relative stability to "a reality of total destruction."
Direct massacres
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 39,000 families have been subjected to direct attacks, including more than 2,700 that were completely exterminated and erased from the civil registry after all their members were killed.
More than 6,020 other families suffered near-total extermination, with only one surviving member in each case.
More than 73,000 bodies have reached hospitals, while over 173,000 people have been injured and more than 9,500 remain missing, al-Thawabteh said.
He added that hundreds of bodies remain in streets and areas under Israeli military control, with ambulance and civil defense teams unable to recover them because of ongoing military operations.
Destruction of Gaza
Al-Thawabteh said the Israeli army has destroyed more than 90% of the Gaza Strip, pushing the enclave back decades through the systematic targeting of civilian life.
He said Israeli bombardment struck residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, universities, places of worship, water and electricity networks, sewage systems, roads and public service facilities, causing widespread paralysis across all sectors.
The health sector has suffered extensive destruction, he said, adding that hospitals still operating provide only about 20% of the services they offered before the genocide.
More than 22,000 wounded and sick Palestinians urgently need treatment abroad, but the closure of border crossings and restrictions on patient movement have prevented them from receiving necessary medical care, he added.
Humanitarian suffering
More than 1.5 million Palestinians are facing severe psychological hardship and deteriorating living conditions because of repeated displacement and the loss of homes and livelihoods, al-Thawabteh said.
He said more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are living in tents and temporary shelters in the al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza, where they lack basic services amid extreme heat and shortages of water, food and medicine.
The war has devastated Gaza's economy, leaving more than 80% of the population below the poverty line, according to international indicators, he said.
Tens of thousands of families are unable to meet their basic needs, while many survive on one meal a day or less, he added.
More than 1.1 million children receive only one meal a day, which al-Thawabteh described as a "systematic starvation policy" targeting civilians, particularly children and women.
International failure
Al-Thawabteh accused the international community of failing to stop Israel's genocide, saying "the world has not succeeded, even once, in stopping the aggression or protecting civilians."
He said international institutions and the UN Security Council bear "moral and legal responsibility" for the continuation of the humanitarian catastrophe.
He added that Gaza authorities continue to document deaths, destruction and alleged violations against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Reconstruction
Al-Thawabteh said rebuilding Gaza will require a broad international effort, including the reconstruction of more than 500 schools and universities, more than 1,000 mosques and three churches, as well as the rehabilitation of water and sewage networks, roads, infrastructure, and economic and public service sectors.
"If the situation continues as it is, the Gaza Strip is heading toward an unprecedented humanitarian collapse, and the world will remain a witness to one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies in modern history," he said.
*Writing by Lina Altawell in Gaza
