UN warns of 'desperation' in Gaza as aid supplies dry up

The UN on Friday warned that deteriorating conditions in Gaza are posing serious public health risks, while food stocks are running critically low due to Israel’s border closures, Anadolu reports.

“Sanitation conditions across Gaza are likely worsening to public health risks,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, citing reports from humanitarian teams.

He said three makeshift displacement sites in Al-Mawasi are reporting infestations of fleas and mites, which are causing rashes and other health issues. However, treatment supplies “will only be available once the crossings are again open for the entry of supplies,” Dujarric added.

“The World Food Program has warned that food stocks in Gaza are running out, and assistance programs that they are running are gradually shutting down,” he said.

When asked about looting in the besieged enclave, Dujarric said: “It’s a clear sign of desperation. I mean, people in Gaza know that the gates are closed. People in Gaza know that no food is coming in. People are desperate.”

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Regarding the occupied West Bank, Dujarric said “tens of thousands” of people remain displaced due to ongoing Israeli military actions, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarem. Humanitarian partners are providing urgent aid and psychosocial support to those affected, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to escalate attacks on Gaza as efforts are underway to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

More than 50,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in Israel’s military onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for 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.

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