Stéphane Dujarric was speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York a day after dozens of Palestinians were killed seeking food aid.
He said the Secretary-General deplored the growing reports of both children and adults suffering from malnutrition and strongly condemned the ongoing violence, including the shooting, killing and injuring of people attempting to get food.
Not a target
“Civilians must be protected and respected, and they must never be targeted,” said Mr. Dujarric, noting that the population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life.
He stressed that “Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations.”
Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General noted that the recent intensification of hostilities comes as the humanitarian system in Gaza is being impeded, undermined and endangered.
New evacuation orders
He pointed to a new evacuation order issued for parts of Deir Al-Balah, which is pushing people into more desperate conditions and sparking further displacement, while restricting the UN’s ability to deliver aid.
He reported that two UN guesthouses in Deir Al-Balah were struck, despite the parties being informed about their locations.
“They suffered damage,” he said, responding a reporter’s question. “The UN staff inside was, to say the least, rattled.”
Mr. Dujarric underscored that the UN intends to remain in Deir Al-Balah.
Ceasefire now
The Secretary-General reiterated his urgent call for the protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and for the provision of essential resources to ensure their survival.
He once again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Mr. Dujarric said the UN stands ready to significantly scale up its humanitarian operations in Gaza, adding “the time for a ceasefire is now.”
People dying from malnutrition
Amid the ongoing shelling, displacement and destruction in Gaza, humanitarians continue to receive reports of severely malnourished people arriving at medical points and hospitals in extremely poor health.
More than a dozen people, including children, have reportedly died from hunger in the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza health agencies.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recalled that roughly 88 per cent of Gaza is now under displacement orders or within displacement zones.
Shelter and fuel
Gaza’s population is some 2.1 million and about 1.35 million need shelter and household items. However, no shelter supplies have been allowed to enter for more than four months.
The dire fuel crisis also continues, with humanitarians continuing to warn that the limited quantities that have been allowed to enter in recent days are hardly sufficient.
Traditional aid systems critical: UN official
Meanwhile the new UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ramiz Alakbarov, has met with the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, Mohammad Mustafa, in Ramallah.
At a press conference, Dr. Alakbarov called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of the hostages, and the lifting of all restrictions on access to people in Gaza.
He said to address immediate needs, humanitarian organizations must be able to use the traditional systems of aid delivery.
He noted that these systems are currently undermined by violence, including armed looting and recurrent shootings at civilians seeking aid. which he said must be independently investigated.
