World must act now to help Gazans under Israeli blockade, UN chiefs urge

The heads of six UN agencies have appealed to world leaders to act urgently to make sure food and supplies get to Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has stopped letting in deliveries for more than a month.

A joint statement said Palestinians were “trapped, bombed and starved again” with supplies “piling up” at crossing points.

Israel has blocked the entry of supplies, including humanitarian aid, since 2 March, after the first stage of a ceasefire expired, demanding Hamas agree to extend that part of the truce. Hamas has refused, accusing Israel of reneging on its commitments.

Israel has said there is enough food in Gaza “for a long period of time”, but the agencies said this was not the case.

“The latest ceasefire allowed us to achieve in 60 days what bombs, obstruction and lootings prevented us from doing in 470 days of war: life-saving supplies reaching nearly every part of Gaza,” the statement said.

“While this offered a short respite, assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low.”

The statement was signed by the heads of the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); the UN’s children’s agency (Unicef); the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS); the World Food Programme (WFP); and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Because of the blockade, all UN-supported bakeries have closed, markets are empty of most fresh vegetables and hospitals are rationing painkillers and antibiotics.

The statement says that Gaza’s “partially functional health system is overwhelmed [and]… Essential medical and trauma supplies are rapidly running out.”

“With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.

“Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire.”

Under international humanitarian law, Israel is required to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population under its control are met. The rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance must also be allowed and facilitated.

The two-month pause in fighting saw a surge in humanitarian aid let into Gaza, as well as the release by Hamas of 33 hostages – eight of them dead – in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel renewed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza on 18 March.

On Tuesday, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said at least 58 people had been killed in the territory over the previous 24 hours.

Israeli strikes overnight killed 19 people, including five children whose home in the central town of Deir al-Balah was hit, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

Another 11 people were reportedly killed in two separate strikes in the northern town of Beit Lahia and an area north-west of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) said a second Palestinian journalist had died of the wounds following an Israeli strike on Monday.

Ahmed Mansour suffered severe burns when a media tent in the southern city Khan Younis was hit, also killing his Palestine Today colleague Helmi al-Faqaawi.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a third journalist, Hassan Eslaih, whom it accused of being a “Hamas terrorist”. The PJS said Eslaih was in a critical condition following the attack, along with several other journalists.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 50,810 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive since then, according to Gaza’s health ministry.