Weeks into Israel's aid blockade, Gaza faces deepening hunger: UN agency

ANKARA

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Friday that 54 days of Israel blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza has deepened the hunger among people in the war-devastated Palestinian enclave.

In a statement, the agency said it has "nearly 3,000 UNRWA trucks of lifesaving aid (that) are ready to enter Gaza," but Israeli authorities continue to block aid supplies from entering.

"The people in Gaza are hungry and the situation is desperate," the agency said, decrying how "humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip and a weapon of war."

The UN agency reiterated its appeal that Israel’s "siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume."

The UNRWA earlier said that "overcrowded shelters (across Gaza) are in a terrible condition, service providers are struggling to operate, and the last resources are being depleted."

Israel has closed Gaza’s border crossings to food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid since March 2, triggering a deepening humanitarian disaster, according to reports from government bodies, human rights groups, and international agencies.

The UNRWA recently warned that Gaza is on the brink of "extreme hunger" due to the continued blockade.

The Israeli army resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Israel has killed more than 51,400 Palestinians in the enclave 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.