‘Struggling to stay alive’ – northern Gaza cut off assistance for 40 days
United Nations Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 20 November 2024:
The Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said on Tuesday that Palestinians trapped in northern Gaza have been struggling to stay alive “with virtually no assistance for more than 40 days.”
Quoting the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric revealed that the UN’s efforts to reach people in northern Gaza have failed.
“All attempts by the UN to support people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and parts of Jabalya — all of which remain under siege — have been either denied or impeded,” the UN official said at a press brief.
“This month alone, 27 out of 31 planned missions were rejected — and the other four were severely impeded, meaning they were prevented from accomplishing all of the critical work they set out to do,” Dujarric added.
The UN spokesperson echoed the report by the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) Famine Review Committee issued 11 days ago stating “that parts of northern Gaza face an imminent risk of famine — and that immediate action is needed in days, and not weeks.”
Dujarric said that the inability to reach these areas has resulted in grave consequences namely the halt of bakeries and kitchens in northern Gaza, in addition to the suspension of nutrition support and the complete blockade of refueling of water and sanitation facilities.
Hospitals under Siege
The UN spokesperson said that access to Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesian Hospitals “remains severely restricted, amid desperate shortages of medical supplies, blood units and fuel.”
Dujarric noted that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to block attempts by UN partners to “deploy an international emergency medical team to scale up capacity.”