After more than a year of Israel’s war on the enclave, the United Nations has disclosed that Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in remarks read out by his Deputy at a Cairo conference aimed to accelerate humanitarian aid to the Strip, “Gaza now has the highest number of children amputees per capita anywhere in the world – many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anaesthesia.”
Guterres also warned that conditions faced by Palestinians in the Strip may amount to the “gravest international crimes.”
In remarks read out on his behalf, the UN Secretary-General urged the international community to “build a foundation for sustainable peace in Gaza and across the Middle East.”
Guterres highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict and the urgent need for international action. “Malnutrition is rampant … Famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed,” he said.
Additionally, Guterres criticised the severe restrictions on aid delivery, calling the current levels “grossly insufficient.”
He stressed that the blockade of aid “is not a crisis of logistics” but rather “a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”
Meanwhile, the enclave’s Health Ministry announced that at least 44,466 people have been killed and 105,358 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The ministry added that of those, 37 Palestinians were killed and 108 wounded in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
Gaza Aid Nowhere Near Enough
Separately, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees bemoaned that the humanitarian aid reaching Gaza for the past year of war has been “nowhere near enough” for its 2.2 million population.
UNRWA said on X, “While attacks continue, people, including children, are facing hunger, living in shelters and tents, and relying on humanitarian aid.”
According to its count, only 65 aid trucks per day had been able to enter Gaza this past month, compared with a pre-war average of 500.
International aid organisations have repeatedly raised alarm over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, warning that civilians are on the brink of famine.
They have said that aid shipments reaching the enclave are now at their lowest since the start of the war.
UNRWA Chief, Philippe Lazzarini stated that the agency “remains the backbone of humanitarian response” in Gaza.
In an address in Cairo, he called for the use of “a robust international legal and political framework” to ensure the continuation of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He added, “Without this, humanitarians, however selfless and courageous, cannot stay and deliver.”
The UN agency recently announced it was stopping aid deliveries to Gaza from the key Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing between Israel and Gaza due to the deteriorating security situation.
According to Gaza’s Media Office, the Israeli military has continued “its intensive land, air and sea aggression on northern Gaza for 60 days” that also wounded 10,000 others.
A statement by the office on Telegram said that 2,400 of the 3,700 people who were killed or missing were “buried” under the rubble.
The office added that during the offensive, the Israeli forces also detained 1,750 people.
It said, “The occupation also targeted and prevented the work of civil defence crews in the governorate, in addition to its destruction of vital sectors,” most notably the health sector and water networks.
The statement noted that the condition of the sanitation facilities, infrastructure and road networks exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, declaring the region “disaster-stricken in every sense of the word.”
READ ALSO: Ben Boakye Urges Patience in ENI-Springfield Unitization
