UN refugee agency urges focus on immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid in Gaza

ISTANBUL

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) renewed its call on Thursday to shift global attention toward an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza, where Israel’s ongoing war has devastated the enclave.

“Shift the focus in Gaza to: immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid, political will, humanity,” UNRWA said in a post on US social media company X.

“Allow UNRWA to bring in our aid and distribute it safely, and at scale,” it added.

Israel has sealed Gaza’s crossings since March 2, preventing food and aid trucks from entering despite hundreds waiting at the border. The move has exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave, leaving residents without access to basic supplies.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and triggered widespread starvation and the spread of disease.