The United Nations warns: Continued attacks on Gaza threaten the truce and aid
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a strong warning regarding the continued military operations in the Gaza Strip, confirming that airstrikes, artillery shelling, and gunfire are still ongoing throughout the territory, despite reports of ceasefire understandings. The office explained that these hostilities are putting the lives of civilians at grave risk, including humanitarian workers and medical teams struggling to provide assistance under extremely difficult circumstances.
Challenges of humanitarian and environmental work
In the context of relief efforts, UN reports indicated that humanitarian teams were ready to expand their operations to cover all areas of the Gaza Strip. However, this ambition is hampered by restrictions and the ongoing military operations. Despite these obstacles, the UN successfully coordinated ten vital humanitarian missions to deliver aid through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. These convoys included food supplies, essential vaccines, fuel for vital facilities, and urgent medical supplies.
In a related development, and in a move aimed at averting environmental and health disasters, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the launch of an initiative to remove solid waste from the Firas Market site in Gaza City. The plan involves transferring this waste to a temporary site covering approximately 75,000 square meters. This step is of paramount importance given experts' warnings of the spread of epidemics and diseases resulting from the accumulation of waste and damage to the sanitation infrastructure, making this initiative a cornerstone for improving public health in the Gaza Strip.
The situation on the ground and ongoing violations
On the ground, medical and local sources documented a series of deadly incidents that coincided with UN warnings. A Palestinian citizen was killed and others were wounded by Israeli occupation forces on Thursday evening in the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza City. Israeli fire also targeted civilians in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding a woman in Beit Lahia, while two civilians were injured by gunfire in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the south.
General context and repercussions of the violations
These developments come at a highly sensitive time, as the Gaza Strip is witnessing artillery shelling and the demolition of residential buildings, particularly in the eastern areas. These actions constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement that reportedly came into effect on October 10th. Observers believe that the continuation of these violations not only threatens to collapse the fragile truce but also exacerbates the humanitarian suffering of those besieged in the Strip and further complicates the regional situation, necessitating urgent international intervention to ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the unimpeded work of aid organizations.
