“The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) since hostilities started on October 7 may have reached one million,” the organization stressed in its latest report on the crisis in the coastal enclave.
OCHA complained that the Rafah border crossing, which links Gaza with Egypt remains closed, preventing the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid, including food, water, and medicines.
“Gaza is experiencing a total power blackout for the sixth consecutive day, while hospitals are on the verge of collapse as their fuel reserves to run back-up generators are nearly depleted,” it warned.
The UN body stressed that Israel has partially renewed water supplies to southern Gaza, accounting for less than four percent of the total water consumed before the outbreak of hostilities.
Given the collapse of virtually all water and sanitation services in Gaza, the population is at imminent risk of death or could be affected by outbreaks of infectious diseases, OCHA stressed.
“Human rights organizations expressed deep concern about incidents in which civilians and civilian objectives appear to have been directly targeted by Israeli airstrikes,” he said.
jg/iff/lam/rob