UN calls for permanent ceasefire as Israel's tactical pauses fail to meet Gaza's 'immense needs'

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN said Wednesday that Israel's unilateral "tactical pauses" in the Gaza Strip are not sufficient to address the scale of humanitarian needs.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq stressed during a news conference that "a permanent ceasefire is needed more than ever."

"Unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense need levels in Gaza," he said.

Haq said that while the UN and its partners are using every opportunity to deliver aid, "the conditions for the delivery of aid and supplies are far from sufficient."

"Four days since the start of tactical pauses in Gaza declared by the Israeli authorities, we are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid, and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition," he said, adding that "parents continue to struggle to save their starving children."

Noting that aid workers themselves are also suffering, Haq reported "high workloads, burnout and exhaustion due mainly to the lack of food among frontline workers, as well as among caseworkers in mental health and psychosocial support facilities."

He reiterated that "current fuel entries are insufficient to meet lifesaving critical needs and represent a drop in the ocean of needs."

On the airdropping of aid to Gaza, Haq said: “We’re not going to turn our back on any effort to get aid safely to people… but it is completely insufficient to rely on that as a mechanism."

He added that the UN is not part of the airdrop process, which involves "a series of bilateral arrangements."

"OCHA reiterates that all crossings must be open, and humanitarian and commercial goods must flow," the spokesperson said.

According to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry, at least 1,239 people were killed and over 8,152 injured by Israeli army fire while seeking aid in Gaza since May 27, when the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to deaths by starvation.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants 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.