Speaking at the ministerial conference on humanitarian aid for the Strip, the deputy secretary general of the organization, Amina Mohammed, described the outcome of the Israeli offensive as appalling and apocalyptic, full of obstacles to aid and pressures against the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

“We are here to help ensure an immediate increase in vital aid for the Palestinian people, guarantee preparation for a possible ceasefire and begin to lay the foundations for recovery and reconstruction, this cannot happen soon enough,” she urged from this capital.

For his part, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed a halt in food deliveries through the Kerem Shalom crossing, due to looting by armed gangs.

The decision comes after all trucks carrying food were seized on Sunday after crossing into Gaza through the main aid corridor.

The route has not been safe for months, the official insisted, recalling that on November 16, armed gangs robbed a large convoy of relief trucks that had also crossed through Kerem Shalom.

According to Mohammed, “what we are seeing may well amount to the most serious international crimes,” with more than 44,000 Palestinian lives lost, widespread displacement and the collapse of essential services.

In his opinion, children have been the most affected, with almost 19,000 hospitalized in the last four months alone, as a consequence of acute malnutrition and the Israeli offensive.

According to the UN, the enclave now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, with many surgeries performed without anesthesia.

“The catastrophe in Gaza is nothing less than a complete collapse of our common humanity. The nightmare must stop,” the UN deputy chief urged.

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