Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)
Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly called, by a large majority, for an “immediate humanitarian truce,” on the twenty-first day of the war in Gaza, shortly after the Israeli army announced the “expansion” of its ground operations in the Strip.
The non-binding decision was supported by applause by 120 members and 14 opposed it, while 45 abstained from voting, out of 193 members of the General Assembly.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced yesterday evening that the army “will expand its ground operations” in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said that the massive bombing of Gaza is now a new stage in the war on the Strip.
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned yesterday that Gaza needs “continuous” aid, while Israel intensifies its bombing of the Strip. Lazzarini described the aid currently entering the Gaza Strip as “crumbs.”
He said during a press conference in Jerusalem, “The current regime is doomed to failure, and there is a need for a continuous flow of aid to make a difference. For this to succeed, we need a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure that this aid reaches those in need.”
The Commissioner also confirmed the killing of 57 agency employees in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of war on October 7. He said: “At least 57 of my colleagues were confirmed dead…wonderful people who dedicated their lives to their communities.”
Lazzarini commented on the controversy related to the civilian death toll announced by the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, noting that the numbers provided by the Ministry during previous conflicts proved correct.
He told reporters: “In the past, and over the five or six rounds of conflict in the Gaza Strip, these numbers were considered credible, and no one had ever questioned them.” This comes as Palestinian sources reported yesterday a complete interruption of communications and Internet services.
The Ministry of Health announced the killing of more than seven thousand people, most of them civilians, including about 3,000 children.
More than 1,400 people were killed on the Israeli side, most of them civilians who died on the first day, according to the Israeli authorities.
Philippe Lazzarini said: “As we speak, people are dying in Gaza. They are not only dying from bombs and shelling, but many people will also die soon as a result of the repercussions of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” adding that “basic services are collapsing, medicines are running out, food supplies and water are running out.” The streets of Gaza began to overflow with sewage.”
For her part, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lynn Hastings, said: “It is expected that eight more trucks carrying food, medicine and water will cross into the Gaza Strip, at a time when technical, political and security problems are hindering the transfer of aid.”
“We have registered about 74 trucks, and we expect another eight or so trucks today,” Hastings told reporters in Geneva.
She said that extensive negotiations are underway with Israel in an attempt to provide more humanitarian crossings in the densely populated Strip. Hastings continued, saying: “In addition to the technical and security issues, there are also political issues, and there is a certain amount of pressure on the government of Israel regarding its internal policies.”
It has not yet been agreed to deliver fuel to Gaza, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that the lack of fuel puts life-saving humanitarian operations there at risk. Officials are facing trouble determining how to distribute the meager aid.
“We are aware of 1,000 patients needing dialysis, and more than 100 children and infants in nurseries, so we are doing our best to try to prioritize what the greatest needs are,” Hastings said.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organization official said yesterday that the organization has received estimates that there are still 1,000 bodies under the rubble in Gaza that have not been identified, and have not yet been registered among the death toll.
Richard Peppercorn, the organization’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in response to a question about the death toll in Gaza: “We also obtained these estimates that indicate that there are still more than 1,000 people under the rubble who have not yet been identified.” The source was not specified.
For their part, the leaders of the European Union countries called for “humanitarian corridors and truces” for the war in Gaza, to bring aid to the residents of the besieged strip, as the United Nations confirmed that “no one is safe.”
The presidents, states and governments of the 27 countries expressed their “deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,” in a joint statement, calling for “humanitarian corridors and truces” to deliver aid.
Last Tuesday, the White House called for “limited humanitarian truces” to facilitate the delivery of aid instead of a ceasefire, and European leaders supported holding an “international peace conference soon” to discuss the two-state solution, as the war enters its 21st day.
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