As the war escalated to full scale , the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the Humanitarian corridor to facilitate the delivery of essentials.
The United Nation has called for a safe humanitarian corridor for urgent aid delivery to Gaza after Israel ordered a complete siege.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely dangerous with these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially. Medical equipment, food, fuel and other humanitarian supplies are required on large scale, along with access for humanitarian personnel,” the UN chief said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres further urged “all sides and the relevant parties” to provide a safe passage for the UN agencies for delivery of the urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians struck in Gaza, while appealing to the international community to “mobilise immediate humanitarian resources for this effort.”
It is been five consecutive days Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip, mainly targeting residential buildings, schools, and medical facilities across the besieged enclave.
Till Wednesday morning , Israel reportedly killed at least 950 Palestinians, including nearly 260 children, and this figure is expected to rise with the passage of days.
Gaza has been opposing an illegal Israeli air, land and sea blockade since 2007 and Gaza is being termed as world’s “largest open-air prison”. Children make up around 47% of Gaza’s population.
The besieged enclave heavily relies on vital crossings point that facilitate the entry of necessities. On Tuesday, Israel attacked and shut down the shared Egypt and Gaza crossing point of Rafah, this crossing has long served as a crucial lifeline for millions of Palestinians in the city.
The latest decision to impose full siege by Israel to impose a complete siege has sparked controversy and further deteriorated already dire conditions on the ground in Gaza.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has also condemned the Israeli decision; according to him, this decision of Israel is a “risk seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
“The order of sieges endanger the lives of common citizens by depriving them of basic facilities for their survival and this move of Israel is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” Turk said in a statement on Tuesday.
A statement issued by Qatar’s foreign ministry said the conversation with the UN chief was aimed at “the latest developments in the situation in the Palestinian territories and Israel, and to find ways to de-escalate the current situation in the Middle East.”
It is to be worth mentioning that a 16-year siege on Gaza has already deprived Palestinians of basic amenities to survive, including water and electricity.
On the other hand, Gaza’s government media office, in a statement, warned of “an imminent humanitarian catastrophe” as the city’s sole power plant is expected to shut down completely in the coming hours due to a lack of fuel supply.