HAMILTON, Canada
The UN on Wednesday warned of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, citing a total depletion of malnutrition prevention supplements and continued restrictions on aid access by Israel.
"The situation there is growing worse by the day," said spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Tremblay noted that UN's "colleagues working to prevent malnutrition report that there are no more malnutrition prevention supplements left in stock in Gaza."
"While some malnutrition treatment stocks remain, these will also be depleted soon unless the crossings reopen for the entry of cargo," she added.
She reported Israeli attacks on schools sheltering displaced civilians and noted that satellite imagery analysis indicates more than 95% of school buildings in Gaza have sustained damage.
"A new report by (UN) partners found that last month, 90% of families they assessed were facing water insecurity, forcing difficult choices between essential needs such as cooking and washing their hands," said Tremblay.
She emphasized the UN's readiness to deliver aid immediately if Israel grants access, and noted that "more than 240,000 metric tons of supplies are ready to be dispatched from warehouses outside Gaza."
"Today, (Israel) they denied three quarters of the UN's requests – that's six out of eight," Tremblay added, noting that half of the denials were for retrieving critical supplies from militarized areas.