Gaza Aid Crisis Deepens as agencies Report Depleted Stocks and Starving Staff

Gaza City,⁤ Palestine – Humanitarian aid organizations ‍operating in Gaza have declared their stocks depleted, with some staff members reportedly suffering from starvation, ⁣as the ongoing conflict continues to cripple relief efforts. The dire situation has drawn sharp criticism from international leaders and highlighted a critical shortfall ⁤in essential supplies for the besieged⁣ Palestinian territory.

Aid agencies Sound Alarm on Critical‌ Shortages

Jan Egeland, the director of a prominent aid agency, told reuters that their “last⁢ tent, our last ⁣food parcel, our ‍last relief items⁢ have been distributed. There⁣ is nothing left.” He​ accused Israel of deliberately attempting to “paralyse our work,” stating⁢ that “Israel is not yielding.”

Echoing these concerns,the head of the UN Palestinian ⁢refugee agency reported on Tuesday that its staff,along with doctors and other humanitarian workers,are fainting on duty in⁤ Gaza due to ⁣severe hunger‌ and exhaustion.

European ⁤Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the images of civilians⁢ killed during ⁤aid distribution as “unbearable” ​and urged Israel to fulfill its pledges to improve the humanitarian situation.

Desperate Scenes ⁢Emerge from Gaza City

Amidst the crisis, men and ‌boys were‍ seen in Gaza City lugging sacks of flour past destroyed buildings and tarpaulins, desperately grabbing what food thay could from aid warehouses. ⁣”We haven’t ​eaten for five days,” one resident, Mohammed Jundia, stated.

Official Israeli military statistics indicate that‍ an average of⁣ 146 trucks​ of aid⁤ have entered Gaza daily throughout the war. However, the ‍United States has asserted that a minimum of 600 trucks per day are required to⁢ adequately ‍feed Gaza’s population.

Health System Overwhelmed by Malnutrition and shortages

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that hospitals are already overwhelmed with ‌casualties from gunfire and are‍ struggling to treat hunger-related symptoms due to critical shortages‍ of food and medicine. Khalil al-Deqran, a spokesperson for the ministry, stated that approximately 600,000​ people⁤ are suffering from malnutrition, including at ⁤least 60,000 pregnant‍ women. ⁤Symptoms ​of hunger include dehydration and anemia.

Aid groups, doctors, and residents have also highlighted a critical shortage of baby formula.

Civilian Casualties Mount

The Gaza health ministry reported that‍ at least 72 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes in the past 24 hours, with 16 of ⁢those fatalities occurring among people sheltering in‍ tents in Gaza City. The Israeli military stated ⁤it⁣ was unaware of ‍any incident or artillery‌ fire in that specific area at the time.

Tensions Escalate​ with ⁣UN⁤ Official’s Visa Refusal

In a move that further strains relations between⁤ the UN and the Israeli government, Israel has reportedly refused to renew the visa of‌ a senior UN official responsible for overseeing humanitarian ⁣affairs in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Jonathan Whittall, the acting head​ of the local branch of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will ⁢no longer be permitted to work in the country. Sa’ar ​cited Whittall’s “biased and hostile conduct against Israel” as the reason for the ⁢decision. OCHA plays a crucial role in managing the entry of vital aid into Gaza.