By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned on Monday that "life is being extinguished" in the Gaza Strip, with civilians reduced to "walking corpses" amid starvation due to continuous Israeli aid blockade.

"As this conference takes place, life is being extinguished in Gaza,” said Ben Majekodunmi, chief of staff for UNRWA, speaking on behalf of Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the opening of a high-level conference on a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the UN headquarters in New York.

"We are all appalled by the horrors reported daily – from the indiscriminate killing of civilians, including children, to man-made starvation inflicted on the entire population," he said.

Recalling a virtual meeting with UNRWA team inside Gaza, Majekodunmi said: "They described people there as 'neither dead, nor alive – walking corpses'."

"Our frontline workers are surviving on one small meal a day, if that, and fainting from hunger while at work," he said.

Urging the international community to act urgently, he said: "Words of outrage and condemnation are no longer adequate for what is unfolding."

"There must be immediate action to impose a long overdue ceasefire, to reverse deepening starvation, and to release every hostage," he added.

Majekodunmi warned that Israel's efforts to dismantle UNRWA could severely undermine political stability.

"The collapse of UNRWA and its services will further weaken the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and compromise any future role it may play in Gaza," he said, adding that "the agency's collapse will undermine efforts to achieve a political solution, diametrically opposing the goals of this conference."

Describing UNRWA as "a tremendous asset if what we seek is a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine and its people," the official urged all UN member states to act as "the fate of millions of people is in your hands."

So far, 149 of the UN's 193 member states have recognized Palestine – a number that has steadily risen since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023.

The two-day conference, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, convened at the UN General Assembly and focuses on reviving peace talks and advancing the implementation of a two-state solution.