Reports of an overnight Israeli military incursion using tanks in
northern Gaza followed another series of calls by the Israeli
Defense Forces (IDF) for civilians in Gaza City to evacuate –
warnings which “make no difference” because “people have
nowhere to go or are unable to move”, according to the
UN’s top humanitarian official in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Lynn Hastings.
‘Nowhere is safe’
“When the evacuation routes are bombed, when people north as well
as south are caught up in hostilities, when the essentials for
survival are lacking, and when there are no assurances for
return, people are left with nothing but impossible
choices”, she said, insisting that
“nowhere is safe in Gaza”.
Ms. Hastings appealed for the protection of civilians in armed
conflict and reiterated calls for the immediate and unconditional
release of the more than 220 people held captive by Hamas since
the group’s deadly incursion into Israel on 7 October.
That terror attack left more than 1,400 dead, drawing widespread
and immediate condemnation from top UN officials including UN
Secretary-General António
Guterres.
Medical support for hostages: Tedros
Little is known about the status of the captives, and after
meeting with some of their families on Wednesday UN health agency
WHO chief Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “there is an urgent need for the
captors of the hostages to provide signs of life, proof of
provision of health care and the immediate release, on
humanitarian and health grounds, of all those abducted”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should be
granted immediate access to the hostages to understand their
health status, and WHO stands ready to provide
the ICRC with health support for the hostages, he said.
“I committed, on behalf of WHO, to do all we can to support the
health and humanitarian needs of those being held captive,”
Tedros insisted.
Record death toll
Meanwhile the heaviest death toll yet from Gaza was reported on
Wednesday by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which said that
756 were killed, including 344 children, bringing total
fatalities in the territory to 6,547 since the start of Israel’s
retaliation for Hamas’ attacks on 7 October.
With bombardments continuing, according to Gaza’s de facto
authorities, some 1,600 people including 900 children
have been reported missing and may be under the rubble.
Bodies in tents
UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said that while
visiting a hospital in Gaza, UN personnel saw hundreds of wounded
men, women and children.
“Many of them were unconscious, with open wounds – lying on beds,
stretchers and on the floor – with limited medical attendance,”
while tens of dead bodies were being kept in a tent in the yard
because morgues are full, the UN office said.
The ongoing fuel blockade and lack of water, medical supplies and
personnel are forcing hospitals to wind down operations, OCHA
said. Humanitarians also warned that people were resorting to
drinking saltwater which posed “immediate health risks”.
As of Wednesday the UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that
“current supplies of essential food in Gaza are sufficient for
about 12 days”.
UN refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi
tweeted that the work aid
workers are doing in Gaza "is nothing short of heroic", calling
for the main UN aid agency there UNRWA to get the resources it
needs "because not only is it a lifeline for thousands but it
also represents one of the last shreds of humanity amidst the
devastation."
