Gaza has become a field of death, Israel blocks humanitarian aid
United Nations Secretary General (UN) António Guterres is with extremely harsh words condemned a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and labeled the area without reservations as « the field of death. » He directly attributed the responsibility for this devastating situation to Israel, who, in his words persistently blocks delivery of urgently needed assistance. As reported by British Guardian and Al jazilaare Israeli representatives at the UN headquarters in New York Guterres’ accusations immediately and firmly denied.
Guterres described the desperate conditions in front of the journalists: “For more than a whole month, it passed without a drop of help in Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicines. Without commercial supplies. » AFP. The Secretary -General has clearly indicated a direct link between the lack of assistance and the escalation of the suffering of the civilian population.
When referring to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, written in the Geneva Convention, Guterres particularly emphasized the clear obligation of the « occupation force » to provide the population on the occupied territory with food and medicinal products. “None of this is happening today. No humanitarian supplies can enter gauze, « Guterres said, adding that civilians in Gaza were captured in the » hopeless loop of death. «
Guterres described the desperate conditions in front of the journalists: “For more than a whole month, it passed without a drop of help in Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicines. No commercial stocks. ”Photo: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to these serious accusations. A spokesman Oren Marmorstein is, according to reporting AFP Rejected Gutres’s claims as unfounded. He claimed that in Gaza, « there is no lack of humanitarian aid », while repeating the accusation that Hamas had recently used the help to « rebuild his military machine ». This view is the diametric opposite of the United Nations assessment.
The UN Secretary General also criticized new Israeli proposals for assistance mechanisms of assistance, which should, among other things, include even monitoring of calories in order to prevent Hamas abuse. « The newly proposed Israeli ‘authorization’ mechanisms for the delivery of assistance risk further monitoring and senseless limiting assistance to the last calories and grains of flour, » Guterres warned, firmly rejecting any United Nations cooperation in such procedures.
« Let me be clear – we will not participate in any agreement that does not fully respect the entirely humanitarian principles – humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality, » he emphasized his commitment to the fundamental principles of UN. In doing so, he again called for immediate guarantees for completely unobstructed entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza area.
Guterres also spread his concerns to what is happening on the occupied West Bank, where tensions and violence also rise. « The current path is a blind street – completely unacceptable in the eyes of international law and history, » he estimated the current policies. He pointed to the danger that the situation would worsen, and pointed to « the risk of turning the occupied western bank into a new gauze, which makes it worse. »
Guterres also spread his concerns to what is happening on the occupied West Bank, where tensions and violence also rise. Photo: Hatem Khaled/Reuters
He concluded his address with the urgent call of the international community and the parties involved: « It is time to end the dehumanization, to protect civilians, to omit the hostages, to provide vital help and to restore the fire. »
The latest events confirm Gutres’s words
While Guterres warned of disaster, reports from the Gaza area were reported to continue the deadly attacks. Ap It reports new Israeli air attacks, which, according to Palestinian health authorities, killed at least one hundred Palestinians. Among the worst incidents was an attack on school in the Tufa neighborhood in Gaza, which served as a shelter for displaced persons; At least 27 people were killed there, including 14 children and five women. The number of casualties could still increase as many were injured in critical condition. More than 30 people were killed in the nearby Sujaja neighborhood, states Ap. The Israeli army reported that the Hamas command center was targeting and that it had taken measures to reduce harm to civilians, which is the same justification as the attack on the UN building the day before, in which 17 people died.
Also Al jazila It reports on constant bombing, which claimed at least 26 lives on Tuesday alone. The source also cites an Israeli attack near the Clinic of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Ti « Safe Zone » Al Mavasi and Monday’s bombing of a charity kitchen in Kan Junis, where six people were killed while waiting for food. Attacks on tents of displaced persons in Kan Junis claimed at least two lives.
In Monday’s bombing of a charity kitchen in Kan Junis, six people were killed while waiting for food. Photo: Ramadan Abed/Reuters
The extremely dangerous conditions, to which Guterres points to, also confirms the high number of killed humanitarian workers and journalists. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that at least 412 humanitarian workers have been killed since the war. In the first week of April, three were killed, including a member of the MSF staff and two members of the Palestinian Red Crescent. In early April, three Palestinian journalists were killed in Kan Junis in Separate Incidents, thus rising the number of killed media workers to at least 208.
