More than 2M people trapped inside Gaza: UN

WASHINGTON

More than 2 million people are trapped inside the Gaza Strip, a UN spokesman said Thursday.

"More than 2 million people remain trapped inside Gaza. Ongoing hostilities and dwindling aid supplies have driven up stress levels -- especially among children -- with mental health needs growing by the day," Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said humanitarian supplies are nearing depletion since Israel imposed a full closure on the entry of cargo, including humanitarian aid, into the enclave on March 2.

The water sector has been "heavily" affected by hostilities with almost 90% of the water assets, he added.

"We reiterate that Israel, as the occupying power, has clear obligations under international law, which include ensuring food, medical supplies and public health services are available, and facilitating humanitarian relief when these are not otherwise supplied," Dujarric stressed.

Turning to the West Bank, Dujarric said thousands of residents have been displaced and unable to return home as Israeli operations continue in the north.

More than 51,000 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.