Smoke rises in the Jabalia neighborhood in northern Gaza following an Israeli strike on November 1, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
The situation in northern Gaza is "apocalyptic," with all its residents facing "imminent risk of death," according to leaders of major U.N. humanitarian agencies.
“The entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza is at imminent risk of death from disease, starvation, and violence,” wrote the 15 signatories, demanding that “the State of Israel cease its assault on Gaza and on humanitarian workers.”
Israeli forces launched a large-scale, intense operation in northern Gaza last month, stating their aim is to prevent Hamas, responsible for the Oct. 7 attack, from reforming combat units.
"The area has been under siege for nearly a month, cut off from basic aid and essential supplies while bombings and other attacks continue," declared the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which includes U.N. agencies and other humanitarian NGOs.
"Just in recent days, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, most of whom were women and children, and thousands more have been forcibly displaced again," emphasized the agency leaders, among them the heads of the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as the NGO Oxfam.
This appeal follows numerous other calls—including from U.S. authorities—for Israel to allow humanitarian aid and prevent an even greater catastrophe in the already besieged Palestinian territory, which has faced daily bombings and intense fighting for over a year.
"The blatant disregard for the fundamental principles of humanity and the laws of war must stop," said the leaders.
Humanitarian aid cannot meet the scale of need due to imposed restrictions, the statement stressed.
“Essential goods are unavailable. Humanitarians cannot work safely and are prevented by Israeli forces and by insecurity from reaching those in need."
The officials, calling for the immediate release of hostages taken in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and of Palestinians “illegally detained,” also urged states not to transfer arms “when there is an evident risk that these weapons will be used in violation of international law.”
This is largely an appeal to the United States, which has yet to respond.
The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, leading to the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data, including hostages killed or who died in captivity.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has resulted in over 43,000 deaths, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry of the Hamas-led government, deemed reliable by the U.N.
