UN humanitarians repeated dire concerns for civilians caught up in the war in Gaza on Tuesday, amid reports of continued Israeli bombardment of the southern towns of Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah, direct clashes on the ground and the firing of rockets overnight by Palestinian armed groups into Israel.

The latest warnings from UN relief agency for Palestinians UNRWA and the UN World Food Programme, WFP, highlighted the threat of starvation and disease in heavily built-up areas, where tens of thousands of people have fled intense bombing campaigns in the enclave’s north and centre.

Skipping meals

“Everyone in Gaza is hungry! Skipping meals is the norm, and each day is a desperate search for sustenance,” WFP said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. “People often go the entire day and night without eating. Adults go hungry so children can eat.”

Well over a million people are now seeking safety in the already overcrowded southern city of Rafah, according to UNRWA, with hundreds of thousands sleeping in the open with inadequate clothing or materials to keep out the cold.

Undernourished children are at particular risk, while “half of Gaza’s population is starving” UN humanitarians have warned, in line with the latest food insecurity assessments.

Infections spreading

Echoing those concerns, the UN health agency WHO warned of an “imminent risk” of communicable disease outbreaks.

Since mid-October, there have been 179,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, 136,400 cases of diarrhoea among under fives, 55,400 cases of scabies and lice and 4,600 cases of jaundice, it reported.

UNRWA said in a new update late on Tuesday that at least 315 people have been killed while seeking safety in their shelters since the latest cycle of conflict began, with at least another 1,148 injured. There have also been around 212 incidents, including 60 direct hits, which have impacted agency premises overall. 

The latest figure for UNRWA staff killed now stands at 142. Since 7 October, up to 1.9 million Gazans - that's 85 per cent of the population - have been displaced, some multiple times.

Death toll climbs over 22,000

Since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October that left some 1,200 dead and another 240 taken hostage, clashes in the Gaza Strip and strikes from the air, land, and sea by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people, mainly women and children, according to local health officials.

IDF figures from 30 December indicated that 168 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground operation in Gaza and 955 injured.

Gaza’s health ministry also reportedly stated that more than 200 Palestinians have been killed since Monday alone, with 338 wounded.

Source: UN News

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145227