UN officials tell Security Council of ‘endless nightmare’ of death and destruction in Gaza
Muhannad Hadi, Deputy Special Coordinator of the United Nations for the Middle East Peace Process, and Antonia De Meo, Deputy Commissioner General of the United Nations agency assisting Palestine Refugees, UNRWAsummarized Security Council about the miserable situation.
“For nearly 10 months, Palestinians and Israelis have experienced untold suffering, grief, sorrow and loss.. More than two million people in Gaza remain trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction on a staggering scale,” said Ms. De Meo. speak ambassador.
“Their lives are dominated by fear, thirst, hunger, disease, inhumanity, lack of basic sanitation and constant displacement. It is a constant struggle and often goes on hour after hour, day after day.. Hunger remains a risk, including in southern Gaza. Infectious diseases are on the rise.”
Children are deeply traumatized
The situation is particularly alarming for the region’s 625,000 children, who are deeply vulnerable and whose futures are at risk.
Most of UNRWA’s schools – which house about half of the children and are now used as shelters by displaced people – have been destroyed or severely damaged in Israeli military operations, with eight schools attacked in the past two weeks alone.
Before October 7 last year – the day of brutal attacks on Israeli communities by Hamas and Palestinian militant groups and the subsequent Israeli military operation – the agency operates 183 schools through the Gaza Strip.
More than 38,000 people were reported killed and more than 88,000 injured.
deadly disease
Moreover, the threat of deadly infectious diseases is increasing as garbage and sewage overflow into the settlements of displaced people.
People with underlying conditions like cancer, kidney failure or diabetes are also unable to access the life-saving treatments they need. And tens of thousands of other patients need urgent medical evacuation.
Panoramic view of the Security Council meeting, with Antonia De Meo (left) and Muhannad Hadi (right) on screen.
Polio is lurking
The latest specter threatening children is polio, a debilitating and incurable disease that causes paralysis, following the discovery of the highly infectious disease in wastewater samples.
Although the disease is effectively prevented through vaccines, Gaza’s severely damaged and depleted health care system means children are missing out on vital vaccinations.
Although no cases of polio have been recorded, If no immediate action is taken, then “It’s just a matter of time.“ Before it reaches thousands of unprotected children, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
In response, the UN health agency is deploying one million doses of polio vaccine, which will be given to children in the coming weeks if conditions allow.
Providing aid is an impossible task.
Amid the death and destruction, humanitarians “are sparing no effort to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable,” Mr Hadi stressed.
“But there is a gap between what needs to be done and what is humanly possible.. The commitment or goodwill of aid workers is not the problem, but their inability to carry out their mission, and that is beyond our control,” he warned, stressing the lack of an enabling environment.
These include ensuring the protection of aid workers and those they are trying to help; the safe and unhindered reception, transfer and distribution of all humanitarian aid; no limits on the quantity and type of humanitarian aid entering Gaza; and the issuance of visas to all United Nations and international non-governmental organization (INGO) staff.
“The list of preconditions is long,” he said, adding that “no matter how the conflict unfolds in the near future, humanitarian operations must be able to safely reach people in need wherever they are in Gaza, across the Gaza Strip.”
