“It’s like we’re in the stone ages,”
Rubble litters a street between smoldering buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an unprecedented evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million people in northern Gaza and Gaza City to seek refuge in the south ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Palestinian civil defense crews try to extinguish a fire in a house that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million in northern Gaza and Gaza City to seek refuge in the south ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
BY ISABEL DEBRE AND WAFAA SHURAFA
October 14, 2023
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — As Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, Laila Abu Samhadaneh, 65, is anxious about water.
The besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water after Israel cut off water and electricity to the enclave as it intensifies its air attacks in response to a bloody Hamas attack last week.
The chokehold has seen taps run dry across the territory. When water does trickle from pipes, the meager flow lasts no more than 30 minutes each day and is so contaminated with sewage and seawater that it’s undrinkable, residents said.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow,” Abu Samhadaneh said from her three-room home in the southern town of Rafah, which turned into a de facto shelter after Israel demanded everyone in Gaza evacuate south. She said she rations just a few liters among dozens of friends and relatives each day. “We’re going crazy.”
OTHER NEWS
BY ISABEL DEBRE AND WAFAA SHURAFA
October 14, 2023
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — As Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, Laila Abu Samhadaneh, 65, is anxious about water.
The besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water after Israel cut off water and electricity to the enclave as it intensifies its air attacks in response to a bloody Hamas attack last week.
The chokehold has seen taps run dry across the territory. When water does trickle from pipes, the meager flow lasts no more than 30 minutes each day and is so contaminated with sewage and seawater that it’s undrinkable, residents said.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow,” Abu Samhadaneh said from her three-room home in the southern town of Rafah, which turned into a de facto shelter after Israel demanded everyone in Gaza evacuate south. She said she rations just a few liters among dozens of friends and relatives each day. “We’re going crazy.”
OTHER NEWS
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The deprivation has plunged Gaza’s population deeper into misery as Israel’s bombardment intensifies one week after Hamas fighters surged across Israel’s separation fence, killing 1,300 Israelis and abducting dozens. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have crushed hundreds of buildings in Gaza and killed more than 2,200 Palestinians.
Even as terrified families flee their homes — squeezing into United Nations shelters or the bloody and chaotic halls of Gaza’s biggest hospital in fear for their safety — the desperate search for water remains a constant.
U.N. agencies and aid groups are beseeching Israel to permit emergency deliveries of fuel and other supplies into the Gaza Strip.
“There really can’t be a justification for this kind of targeting of civilians,” said Miriam Marmur, a spokesperson for Gisha, an Israeli human rights group.
The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency called the water crisis a “matter of life or death.”
If fuel and water don’t arrive soon, the agency’s commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said, “people will start dying of severe dehydration.”
In normal times, the coastal enclave — which has struggled under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 — relies on Israel for one-third of all available drinking water, the territory’s water authority says.
Its other water sources include desalination plants in the Mediterranean Sea and a subterranean aquifer, drained and damaged from years of overuse. When Israel severed electricity to Gaza, the desalination plants all shut down. So did the wastewater treatment stations.
That has left the entire territory without running water. People buy dwindling jugs from municipal sanitation stations, scour for bottles in supermarkets or drink whatever fetid liquid may dribble out of their pipes.
Quenching thirst has become more difficult in the past day, even for those with means to shell out for bottled water. It took 35-year-old Noor Swirki two hours on Saturday to find a box of six bottles she will try to stretch throughout the coming days. She took her first shower in a week Saturday, using a cup of polluted tap water and splashing it over her husband and two children before rubbing the remaining moisture on her skin.
“We are here without anything, even the most basic thing,” she said, shouting over the persistent noise of crying children in the U.N. shelter in southern Khan Younis, where she sought refuge after an airstrike demolished her Gaza City apartment. “We’re worried about our safety in the bombing and now there’s this other issue of survival.”
She and six other Palestinians interviewed across Gaza said they drink no more than half a liter of water a day. They said they urinate once a day or every other day.
The World Health Organization says that 50 to 100 liters per day per person are needed to ensure proper hydration and sanitation. The U.S. National Academies of Science and Medicine say men need to drink about 3.7 liters (125 ounces) and women need about 2.7 liters (91 ounces) per day to be adequately hydrated.
“It’s like we’re in the stone ages,” said 28-year-old Khalil Abu Yahia in the central town of Deir al-Balah.
Drinking dirty water and poor sanitation due to lack of water can lead to terrible diseases, experts say, including cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. For the past week, the water along Gaza’s coast tastes like salt, residents say.
Drinking salt water can lead to even more dehydration.
“It tastes bad, it smells bad,” said 25-year-old Mohammed Bashir about the tap water in western Gaza City, which is mixed with untreated wastewater and seawater. “But we have no choice. My kids are crying because they’re thirsty.”
Among the dozens of Palestinians with shrapnel wounds in their legs and arms from airstrikes that Dr. Husom Safiyah treated Saturday in northern Gaza, there were 15 children, including infants, with bacterial dysentery caused by the water shortage, he said.
“The situation is disastrous, and it will become even more so after two or three days,” said Safiyah, a physician with MedGlobal, an organization that sends medical teams to disaster regions. He spoke as explosions thundered outside and medics around him rushed to handle the latest influx of victims
He said he had to go and help them. An airstrike near the Jabaliya refugee camp had just killed at least 27 people, mostly women and children, according to Hamas authorities, and dozens were wounded. When asked how he would clean their wounds, he said that he would use what little tap water they had, even if it was mixed with sewage.
“We have no alternative,” he said.
___
DeBre reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Jonathan Poet in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Weary Families Trudge Through Gaza Streets, Trying To Flee The North Before Israel's Invasion
Some left home with suitcases jammed with clothes.
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million in northern Gaza and Gaza City to seek refuge in the south ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
Some left home with suitcases jammed with clothes.
Wafaa Shurafa and Samya Kullab
Oct 14, 2023
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some fled home with suitcases jammed with clothes and heirlooms and photographs. Some left with stacks of foam mattresses tied to car roofs. They took buses and vans and cars and carts pulled by donkeys.
Many walked. Many had nothing with them but exhausted family members trudging through streets littered with rubble. All of them were trying to get to safety.
“We left the house without food, without water and without clothes,” said Mohammad Hillis, sitting at a wooden school desk scarred by generations of students in a makeshift refugee camp in central Gaza. “We left without taking anything with us.”
He said about 150 people lived in his building in their northern Gaza town. All left after clouds of Israeli leaflets began dropping from the sky, warning civilians to flee the north within 24 hours.
“Evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” an Israeli statement said. It warned that Israeli forces would “operate significantly” in northern Gaza in the coming days, an apparent reference to an expected land offensive being prepared one week after Hamas’ bloody, carefully planned attack on Israel.
The leaflets fueled the fear and chaos already raging in Gaza, which has faced relentless Israeli airstrikes since the attack.
In just 12 hours after the first Israeli warnings, hundreds of thousands of people had either taken to the roads or been forced from their homes by the airstrikes.
But many Gazans chose to stay and face the looming invasion. Some said there was simply no safe place to go in the south, which was far from their friends and relatives. Many also feared the dangers on the roads that Israel said could be used as evacuation routes, but which had been targeted several times by Israeli airstrikes.
Some Gazans sought shelter in places that they hoped would not be Israeli targets.
Oct 14, 2023
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Some fled home with suitcases jammed with clothes and heirlooms and photographs. Some left with stacks of foam mattresses tied to car roofs. They took buses and vans and cars and carts pulled by donkeys.
Many walked. Many had nothing with them but exhausted family members trudging through streets littered with rubble. All of them were trying to get to safety.
“We left the house without food, without water and without clothes,” said Mohammad Hillis, sitting at a wooden school desk scarred by generations of students in a makeshift refugee camp in central Gaza. “We left without taking anything with us.”
He said about 150 people lived in his building in their northern Gaza town. All left after clouds of Israeli leaflets began dropping from the sky, warning civilians to flee the north within 24 hours.
“Evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” an Israeli statement said. It warned that Israeli forces would “operate significantly” in northern Gaza in the coming days, an apparent reference to an expected land offensive being prepared one week after Hamas’ bloody, carefully planned attack on Israel.
The leaflets fueled the fear and chaos already raging in Gaza, which has faced relentless Israeli airstrikes since the attack.
In just 12 hours after the first Israeli warnings, hundreds of thousands of people had either taken to the roads or been forced from their homes by the airstrikes.
But many Gazans chose to stay and face the looming invasion. Some said there was simply no safe place to go in the south, which was far from their friends and relatives. Many also feared the dangers on the roads that Israel said could be used as evacuation routes, but which had been targeted several times by Israeli airstrikes.
Some Gazans sought shelter in places that they hoped would not be Israeli targets.
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million in northern Gaza and Gaza City to seek refuge in the south ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
Medical officials say an estimated 35,000 have crammed into the grounds of Gaza City’s main hospital, hoping for refuge.
The scale of the evacuation order is vast, and perhaps simply impossible.
The order covers an area of 1.1 million residents, or about half the territory’s population. The U.N. and aid workers have warned that the mass exodus would be catastrophic.
Social media was flooded with calls for help.
“If there is a car, bus, or anything nearby that will take us from Gaza to Rafah, please contact me” a Gaza City doctor pleaded on Facebook.
On Friday, Haifa Khamis al-Shurafa wondered what her 82-year-old father was thinking as they prepared to flee for the second time in a week.
Her father, who is stricken with Parkinson’s and unable to speak, had born witness to the 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe,” the term Palestinians use to describe their mass displacement when Israel was founded.
As she helped him into a car in Gaza City, along with the family of seven’s most important possessions in two suitcases, she felt acutely that history was repeating itself.
Her father was 6 years old when he and his family were displaced from what is now the Israeli city of Beersheba.
“They left their shops and homes,” she said later Friday, after reaching Deir al-Balah, a central Gaza city that is south of the zone where Israel had ordered the evacuation. “Now, my father is surrounded by his children and is seeing that we have to leave again, that we have to live this again.”
Like many Gazans, Shurafa grew up hearing stories about 1948, and how so many Palestinians were never able to return home. Today, that fuels suspicions about whether Israel has any intention to allow Gazans to return to their homes.
Earlier this week, Al-Shurafa, a 42-year-old architect married to a dentist, fled her upscale Gaza City neighborhood after her apartment was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.
They had just minutes to gather their children and pack some important documents and clothes before the five-story building was destroyed, bringing down two other buildings.
“That was the worst moment of my life, the moment we had to leave, we had leave our memories, our dreams, my dreams, the house that we built together,” she said. “We are not young anymore, that was our entire life savings.”
Asked how she was coping, she nearly cried.
“Please don’t ask me how I feel,” she said. “That is the worst feeling I have ever felt or will ever feel.”
“It was the feeling of anguish, of humiliation, of injustice, of abandonment,” she said.
The family stayed a few days in a temporary home she shared with her in-laws, then fled again Friday to Deir al-Balah after Israel announced the evacuation order.
As night fell, she could hear the sounds of distant shelling. Israel has cut off nearly all electricity to the Gaza Strip, and the family was left in darkness.
“We don’t deserve this,” she said. “We didn’t kill anyone.”
___
Kullab reported from Baghdad.
Medical officials say an estimated 35,000 have crammed into the grounds of Gaza City’s main hospital, hoping for refuge.
The scale of the evacuation order is vast, and perhaps simply impossible.
The order covers an area of 1.1 million residents, or about half the territory’s population. The U.N. and aid workers have warned that the mass exodus would be catastrophic.
Social media was flooded with calls for help.
“If there is a car, bus, or anything nearby that will take us from Gaza to Rafah, please contact me” a Gaza City doctor pleaded on Facebook.
On Friday, Haifa Khamis al-Shurafa wondered what her 82-year-old father was thinking as they prepared to flee for the second time in a week.
Her father, who is stricken with Parkinson’s and unable to speak, had born witness to the 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe,” the term Palestinians use to describe their mass displacement when Israel was founded.
As she helped him into a car in Gaza City, along with the family of seven’s most important possessions in two suitcases, she felt acutely that history was repeating itself.
Her father was 6 years old when he and his family were displaced from what is now the Israeli city of Beersheba.
“They left their shops and homes,” she said later Friday, after reaching Deir al-Balah, a central Gaza city that is south of the zone where Israel had ordered the evacuation. “Now, my father is surrounded by his children and is seeing that we have to leave again, that we have to live this again.”
Like many Gazans, Shurafa grew up hearing stories about 1948, and how so many Palestinians were never able to return home. Today, that fuels suspicions about whether Israel has any intention to allow Gazans to return to their homes.
Earlier this week, Al-Shurafa, a 42-year-old architect married to a dentist, fled her upscale Gaza City neighborhood after her apartment was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.
They had just minutes to gather their children and pack some important documents and clothes before the five-story building was destroyed, bringing down two other buildings.
“That was the worst moment of my life, the moment we had to leave, we had leave our memories, our dreams, my dreams, the house that we built together,” she said. “We are not young anymore, that was our entire life savings.”
Asked how she was coping, she nearly cried.
“Please don’t ask me how I feel,” she said. “That is the worst feeling I have ever felt or will ever feel.”
“It was the feeling of anguish, of humiliation, of injustice, of abandonment,” she said.
The family stayed a few days in a temporary home she shared with her in-laws, then fled again Friday to Deir al-Balah after Israel announced the evacuation order.
As night fell, she could hear the sounds of distant shelling. Israel has cut off nearly all electricity to the Gaza Strip, and the family was left in darkness.
“We don’t deserve this,” she said. “We didn’t kill anyone.”
___
Kullab reported from Baghdad.
Gaza: UNRWA issues urgent call for civilians to be protected
14 October 2023
The UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) issued an urgent call on Saturday for Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians sheltering in Gaza.
The statement came as the Israeli-imposed deadline for some 1.1 million civilians to leave the northern part of the enclave, ahead of what is expected to be a major advance into Gaza by Israeli ground forces, expired.
“UNRWA shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are no longer safe. This is unprecedented,” said the statement.
The agency reminded that according to the rules of warfare, civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations premises cannot be a target.
“UNRWA is sparing no efforts to advocate with parties to the conflicts to meet their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including those seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters,” the agency emphasized.
UNRWA pointed out that many of the vulnerable, particularly pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities simply will be unable to flee south.
‘No choice’
“They have no choice and must be protected at all times.”
More than 1,300 people were killed in Israel after Hamas fighters raided settlements close to Gaza last Saturday. In response, more than 2,200 have been killed during Israel’s aerial offensive on Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General António GuterresOpens in new window said it would be “impossible” for civilians in Gaza to comply with the evacuation order without devastating humanitarian consequences.
The UN chief called on the world to unite in support of the fundamental principle of protecting civilians, and “finding a lasting solution to this unending cycle of death and destruction.”
© UNRWA/Mohammed Hinnawi
An UNRWA school sheltering more than 225 displaced people, including many families, in the Gaza Strip was directly hit, sustaining severe damages, but no casualties were reported then.
WHO airlifts vital health supplies for Gaza
A plane carrying life-saving health supplies from the World Health Organization's (WHOOpens in new window) logistics hub in Dubai landed in Egypt on SaturdayOpens in new window to aid civilians in Gaza – as soon as access across the border into the enclave can be established.
The shipment includes trauma medicines, healthcare essentials, and equipment sufficient to treat around 1,200 who have suffered injuries during the bombing raids and around 1,500 chronically ill patients.
The cargo also includes basic health supplies to meet the needs of 300,000 others, including pregnant women.
With hospitals in Gaza either completely out of action, or simply overwhelmed, the supplies will help save the lives of the wounded wherever they can find shelter, WHO said.
Access essential
WHO said it was critical for the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border to be reopened. “While the Egyptian side of the crossing is accessible, the Israeli side remains closed”, said the statement.
“Every hour these supplies remain on the Egyptian side of the border, more girls and boys, women, and men, especially those vulnerable or disabled, will die while supplies that can save them are less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.”
WHO said it would be working with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies to ship the supplies across the border into Gaza, as soon as practicable.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday who endorsed the request to facilitate medical aid across the border into Gaza.
‘I fear the worst is yet to come’: UN relief chief
Following a week of “utter anguish and devastation” for civilians in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN relief chiefOpens in new window on Saturday said he fearsOpens in new window “the worst is yet to come.”
“In Israel, families are reeling from the horror of last Saturday’s attack”, said Humanitarian Affairs chief Martin Griffiths. “More than a thousand people have been killed and many more have been injured. Over 100 people are held captive.
“In Gaza, families have been bombed while inching their way south along congested, damaged roads, following an evacuation order that left hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for safety but with nowhere to go.”
The past week has been a test for humanity, and humanity is failing - Martin Griffiths
He warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, “already critical, is fast becoming untenable.”
The OCHAOpens in new window chief warned that violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, with a surge in civilian deaths and injuries leaving families “facing ever greater movement restrictions.”
“And in Lebanon, the risk of the conflict spilling into the country is a major concern.”
He called for all civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian workers, to be protected by all combatants.
Mr. Griffiths echoed the UN chief’s appeal saying all countries with influence must exert it to ensure respect for the rules of war and to avoid any further escalation and spillover.
“The past week has been a test for humanity, and humanity is failing.”
Soundcloud
UN independent expert warns of ‘mass ethnic cleansing’
An independent UN-appointed human rights expert warned on SaturdayOpens in new window that Gaza’s civilian population was now in grave danger of “mass ethnic cleansing” on the international community to urgently mediate a ceasefire.
Tweet URL
“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel has reached fever pitch,” said Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.
She called on the UN and Member States to intensify efforts to mediate an immediate ceasefire between the parties, before “a point of no return” is reached.
The UN Human Rights CouncilOpens in new window-appointed expert reminded the international community of its responsibility to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes.
‘Both deserve to live in peace’
“Time is of the essence. Palestinians and Israelis both deserve to live in peace, equality of rights, dignity and freedom,” Ms. Albanese said. “Any continued military operations by Israel have gone well beyond the limits of international law. The international community must stop these egregious violations of international law now, before tragic history is repeated.”
Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts work on a voluntary basis, they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
Lebanon frontier: Peacekeepers warn of further 'tragedies' following journalist’s death
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon on Saturday extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of a Reuter’s news agency video journalist who was killed in the south of the country, covering the exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militia.
In a statementOpens in new window, UNIFILOpens in new window, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, confirmed there had been firing across the Blue LineOpens in new window, the unofficial frontier between the two countries, with Israeli forces striking a position on Friday close to the village of Alma As Shab.
According to Reuters, Issam Al Abdullah, a Lebanese videographer, was killed during the exchange of fire and six other journalists were injured.
UNIFIL wished the injured media workers a swift recovery and stressed that it could not say exactly how the group had been hit.
© UNICEF/Mohammad Ajjour
An 11-year-old boy stands at the entrance to his home in Gaza City.
Stop the escalation
“If the situation continues to escalate, we will most likely see more such tragedies. Any civilian loss of life is a tragedy and should be prevented at all times.
“This is why we urge everyone to cease fire and allow us, as peacekeepers, to help find solutions”, the statement added. “No one wants to see more people hurt or killed.”
According to news reports, Israeli authorities have pledged to investigate the incident.
14 October 2023
The UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) issued an urgent call on Saturday for Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians sheltering in Gaza.
The statement came as the Israeli-imposed deadline for some 1.1 million civilians to leave the northern part of the enclave, ahead of what is expected to be a major advance into Gaza by Israeli ground forces, expired.
“UNRWA shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are no longer safe. This is unprecedented,” said the statement.
The agency reminded that according to the rules of warfare, civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations premises cannot be a target.
“UNRWA is sparing no efforts to advocate with parties to the conflicts to meet their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including those seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters,” the agency emphasized.
UNRWA pointed out that many of the vulnerable, particularly pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities simply will be unable to flee south.
‘No choice’
“They have no choice and must be protected at all times.”
More than 1,300 people were killed in Israel after Hamas fighters raided settlements close to Gaza last Saturday. In response, more than 2,200 have been killed during Israel’s aerial offensive on Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General António GuterresOpens in new window said it would be “impossible” for civilians in Gaza to comply with the evacuation order without devastating humanitarian consequences.
The UN chief called on the world to unite in support of the fundamental principle of protecting civilians, and “finding a lasting solution to this unending cycle of death and destruction.”
© UNRWA/Mohammed Hinnawi
An UNRWA school sheltering more than 225 displaced people, including many families, in the Gaza Strip was directly hit, sustaining severe damages, but no casualties were reported then.
WHO airlifts vital health supplies for Gaza
A plane carrying life-saving health supplies from the World Health Organization's (WHOOpens in new window) logistics hub in Dubai landed in Egypt on SaturdayOpens in new window to aid civilians in Gaza – as soon as access across the border into the enclave can be established.
The shipment includes trauma medicines, healthcare essentials, and equipment sufficient to treat around 1,200 who have suffered injuries during the bombing raids and around 1,500 chronically ill patients.
The cargo also includes basic health supplies to meet the needs of 300,000 others, including pregnant women.
With hospitals in Gaza either completely out of action, or simply overwhelmed, the supplies will help save the lives of the wounded wherever they can find shelter, WHO said.
Access essential
WHO said it was critical for the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border to be reopened. “While the Egyptian side of the crossing is accessible, the Israeli side remains closed”, said the statement.
“Every hour these supplies remain on the Egyptian side of the border, more girls and boys, women, and men, especially those vulnerable or disabled, will die while supplies that can save them are less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.”
WHO said it would be working with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies to ship the supplies across the border into Gaza, as soon as practicable.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday who endorsed the request to facilitate medical aid across the border into Gaza.
‘I fear the worst is yet to come’: UN relief chief
Following a week of “utter anguish and devastation” for civilians in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN relief chiefOpens in new window on Saturday said he fearsOpens in new window “the worst is yet to come.”
“In Israel, families are reeling from the horror of last Saturday’s attack”, said Humanitarian Affairs chief Martin Griffiths. “More than a thousand people have been killed and many more have been injured. Over 100 people are held captive.
“In Gaza, families have been bombed while inching their way south along congested, damaged roads, following an evacuation order that left hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for safety but with nowhere to go.”
The past week has been a test for humanity, and humanity is failing - Martin Griffiths
He warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, “already critical, is fast becoming untenable.”
The OCHAOpens in new window chief warned that violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, with a surge in civilian deaths and injuries leaving families “facing ever greater movement restrictions.”
“And in Lebanon, the risk of the conflict spilling into the country is a major concern.”
He called for all civilians and civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian workers, to be protected by all combatants.
Mr. Griffiths echoed the UN chief’s appeal saying all countries with influence must exert it to ensure respect for the rules of war and to avoid any further escalation and spillover.
“The past week has been a test for humanity, and humanity is failing.”
Soundcloud
UN independent expert warns of ‘mass ethnic cleansing’
An independent UN-appointed human rights expert warned on SaturdayOpens in new window that Gaza’s civilian population was now in grave danger of “mass ethnic cleansing” on the international community to urgently mediate a ceasefire.
Tweet URL
“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel has reached fever pitch,” said Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967.
She called on the UN and Member States to intensify efforts to mediate an immediate ceasefire between the parties, before “a point of no return” is reached.
The UN Human Rights CouncilOpens in new window-appointed expert reminded the international community of its responsibility to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes.
‘Both deserve to live in peace’
“Time is of the essence. Palestinians and Israelis both deserve to live in peace, equality of rights, dignity and freedom,” Ms. Albanese said. “Any continued military operations by Israel have gone well beyond the limits of international law. The international community must stop these egregious violations of international law now, before tragic history is repeated.”
Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts work on a voluntary basis, they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
Lebanon frontier: Peacekeepers warn of further 'tragedies' following journalist’s death
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon on Saturday extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of a Reuter’s news agency video journalist who was killed in the south of the country, covering the exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militia.
In a statementOpens in new window, UNIFILOpens in new window, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, confirmed there had been firing across the Blue LineOpens in new window, the unofficial frontier between the two countries, with Israeli forces striking a position on Friday close to the village of Alma As Shab.
According to Reuters, Issam Al Abdullah, a Lebanese videographer, was killed during the exchange of fire and six other journalists were injured.
UNIFIL wished the injured media workers a swift recovery and stressed that it could not say exactly how the group had been hit.
© UNICEF/Mohammad Ajjour
An 11-year-old boy stands at the entrance to his home in Gaza City.
Stop the escalation
“If the situation continues to escalate, we will most likely see more such tragedies. Any civilian loss of life is a tragedy and should be prevented at all times.
“This is why we urge everyone to cease fire and allow us, as peacekeepers, to help find solutions”, the statement added. “No one wants to see more people hurt or killed.”
According to news reports, Israeli authorities have pledged to investigate the incident.
Gaza’s spiraling humanitarian crisis, explained
Israel’s evacuation order is creating chaos in Gaza.
Israel’s evacuation order is creating chaos in Gaza.
A ground invasion will be worse.
By Ellen Ioanes Oct 14, 2023
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By Ellen Ioanes Oct 14, 2023
Palestinians injured during Israeli raids at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, on October 14, 2023, in Gaza City, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
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