Gaza now faces 'worst' humanitarian crisis since Israel's attacks began: UN

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Monday warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now "likely to be the worst it has been" since Israel's relentless attacks began 18 months ago.

"Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian situation is now likely to be the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference.

"It has now been a month and a half since any supplies were allowed through the crossings into Gaza, by far the longest such halt to date," he added.

Expressing the grim situation in the Gaza Strip, Dujarric said there is "a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of some remaining infrastructure that's needed to keep people alive."

He also denounced Israeli authorities for issuing four new displacement orders over the weekend, stressing that the evacuation orders are "further reducing the limited space available for families."

"Civilians are effectively trapped in increasingly fragmented and unsafe enclaves in Gaza, where access to essential services for survival is dwindling day by day," he said.

The UN official noted that about 70% of Gaza is now under displacement orders or classified as "no-go zones," requiring coordination with Israel for humanitarian access.

"Displacement orders are, of course, undermining access to half of all water wells across the Gaza Strip," he said, adding that "dwindling supplies" have forced aid workers to ration and reduce deliveries.

Asked whether Israel is committing a war crime by blocking aid into Gaza, Dujarric stated that, "Israel has responsibilities under international law, as the occupying power, to adequately provide basic services and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. That is not happening."

"We will let judicial bodies decide whether things are so; at least this violates international law," he added.

Since March 2, Israel has closed Gaza's crossings, blocking essential supplies from entering the enclave.

The Israeli army also renewed a deadly assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

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.