Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Middle East

    Gaza crisis likely at its 'worst', UN warns

    By JAN YUMUL in Hong Kong | China Daily | Updated: 2025-04-25 09:44
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Palestinian farmer Ahmad Khalil breaks down on Wednesday amid the charred remains of his agricultural installation, destroyed in an Israeli attack on the village of Sinjil near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP

    Prolonged forced hunger, bombings and Israel's now 50-day blockade on aid have deepened the crisis in Gaza, with the United Nations warning that the situation was likely in its "worst" phase.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a bulletin on Wednesday that Gaza "is now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis" in the 18 months since Israel's military campaign following Hamas' surprise attack in October 2023.

    "Over the past 36 days, since March 18, Israeli forces have escalated bombardment from the air, land and sea across the Gaza Strip and expanded ground operations. This has resulted in hundreds of casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and large-scale displacement," it said.

    The UN office also said fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups has been reported particularly in North Gaza and Rafah governorates. As of April 15, an estimated 420,000 people "have been displaced again", it added.

    It has been widely reported by many media outlets that an estimated 51,000 people have died in the current conflict in Gaza.

    However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in his address to the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council on Wednesday, said Israel's "enduring genocidal war" has "cost us more than 200,000 citizens", who he said are "either martyred or wounded so far".

    Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said hunger "is spreading and deepening — deliberate and man-made", as an Israeli blockade on food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies passed the 50-day mark following the collapse of a ceasefire deal last month.

    "Gaza has become a land of desperation … humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip and a weapon of war," Lazzarini said, warning that supplies inside Gaza "are nearly all gone", with food stocks running dangerously low and only 250 food parcels left.

    Last month, a group of UN human rights experts expressed alarm at Israel's blockade, describing the move as "weaponizing starvation" — which they said flagrantly breaches international law and any prospects of peace.

    'Weapon of war'

    South Africa also said that barring food from entering Gaza was a continuation of Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, as part of the continuing campaign of what the International Court of Justice ruled to be plausible genocide against the Palestinians.

    On April 16, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel's policy is "clear", that no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid "is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population".

    United States Senator Bernie Sanders took to X and slammed Katz's remark.

    Katz hit back at Sanders on Tuesday, saying Israel was acting in full accordance with international law and claimed that the humanitarian condition in Gaza "is constantly monitored and large quantities of aid were delivered".

    "Whenever it becomes necessary to allow additional aid, it must be ensured that it does not pass through Hamas, which exploits humanitarian aid to maintain control over the civilian population and to profit at their expense — profits that fund and sustain terror infrastructure used to target IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and Israeli civilians," Katz said.

    UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric appealed to "influential" member states to take necessary measures to ensure that humanitarian aid can be distributed to Gaza.

    The appeal came in response to a question about Katz reportedly telling Israel's Security Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that aid in Gaza would be distributed by the Israeli military or US companies, reported the Anadolu news agency of Turkiye.

    Dujarric said UN operations in Gaza or anywhere else in the world could only be conducted in line with the principles of humanity, neutrality and independence.

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    蜜桃无码AV一区二区| 最近免费中文字幕mv电影| 制服中文字幕一区二区| 国产无码一区二区在线| 中文有无人妻vs无码人妻激烈 | 中文字幕无码不卡免费视频 | 无码任你躁久久久久久老妇| 无码一区二区三区| 中文精品人人永久免费| 婷婷色中文字幕综合在线| 国产亚洲情侣一区二区无码AV | 最近2019中文字幕一页二页| 中文字幕无码乱人伦| 乱人伦人妻中文字幕无码| 久久久无码精品亚洲日韩按摩| 自慰无码一区二区三区| 中文字幕亚洲无线码a| 久久精品一区二区三区中文字幕| 少女视频在线观看完整版中文| 久久久久无码专区亚洲av| 东京热加勒比无码视频| 精品无码久久久久国产| 无码国产乱人伦偷精品视频| 亚洲精品无码永久在线观看你懂的| 日韩AV高清无码| 自慰无码一区二区三区| 亚洲AV无码成人精品区在线观看| 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV漫画| 中文精品无码中文字幕无码专区| 无码精品A∨在线观看十八禁| 日韩精品无码免费专区午夜不卡| 最近高清中文在线字幕在线观看| 中文字幕精品一区二区三区视频| 亚洲一日韩欧美中文字幕欧美日韩在线精品一区二 | 人妻丰满熟妇AV无码区乱| 久久精品国产亚洲AV无码偷窥| 日韩av无码中文字幕| av无码播放一级毛片免费野外| 久久国产三级无码一区二区| 性无码专区一色吊丝中文字幕| 中文字幕人妻无码专区|