ISTANBUL

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that current aid deliveries to Gaza fall drastically short of what is needed, calling them a “mockery” of the immense humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged enclave.

“There are reports that 900 trucks were sent in the past two weeks. That’s just over 10 per cent of the daily needs of people in Gaza,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on X.

“The aid that’s being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch,” noting that “we are back to the blaming game while the people of Gaza are starving and trying to survive heavy bombardments,” he added.

“We are not asking for the impossible,” Lazzarini said. “Allow the UN including UNRWA and humanitarian partners to do our work: assist people in need and preserving their dignity.”

He recalled that during the previous ceasefire, the UN was able to deliver 600 to 800 aid trucks per day, successfully preventing famine at the time. “The current mass starvation can be stopped. It takes political will,” he emphasized.

Since March 2, Israel has kept all border crossings shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.

Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants 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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.