Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs
"The coming days will be critical in Gaza... Those who are not killed by bombs and bullets are dying slowly," said the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine, describing the situation in Gaza. He called for the lifting of the blockade on the entry of aid and supplies and the resumption of the ceasefire.
UN official Jonathan Whittall spoke to a group of journalists on Saturday in Gaza City, north of the Strip. He said that humanitarian agencies continue, despite the challenges, to try to work wherever they can to meet needs.
However, he drew attention to the depletion of supplies and the diminishing capacity of aid organizations to operate amid the increasing humanitarian needs throughout Gaza. He expressed his hope for accountability rather than waiting for the judgment of history on "those who did nothing in the face of what we are seeing today in Gaza."
The following is Whittall's testimony, in his own words, about the situation in the Gaza Strip. According to the UN daily news bulletin: "My name is Jonathan Whittall, Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The coming days in Gaza will be critical. People in Gaza do not survive. Those who are not killed by bombs and bullets die slowly.
People here are suffocating. What we see around us is endless suffering as the complete and total lockdown continues for nearly two months, with airstrikes, ground operations, and displacement orders forcing people to leave their homes.
We know that hospitals are overcrowded, but the supplies needed to provide treatment are running out.
We know that people are hungry and that malnutrition rates are rising, but our warehouses are empty, our bakeries are closing, and soon our community kitchens will have to stop working.
We know that people are thirsty, but water wells are out of reach.
We know that solid waste is piling up in the streets of Gaza, but we don't have the equipment to transport it or accessible landfills.
We know that people are They are trapped under rubble from airstrikes, but we don't have the equipment to rescue them or the fuel to operate the necessary machinery.
We know that the land is shrinking, that displacement orders are increasing, that fishermen are being shot at sea, and that there is no safe place in Gaza today.
We also know that sewage is flowing into the streets, and that we don't have all the supplies needed to repair the networks.
We know that children need to learn, but schools are destroyed or inaccessible, and we don't have educational supplies available. Prices of the remaining goods are rising throughout Gaza, but there is no cash.
We know that there is no cooking gas or fuel, and that people are burning garbage to generate some energy.
We know that UNRWA is indispensable, but it is under unprecedented pressure.
We know that people are living on top of the rubble, but we don't have any more tents or shelter materials to provide for them.
We know that this is not just about humanitarian needs, but about dignity, and that there is an assault on the dignity of the people of Gaza today. We also know that humanitarian workers, first responders, and journalists, like all civilians, must be protected, yet they are being killed in a war that seems to be waged without borders.
In reality, this doesn't feel like a war. People in Gaza tell me it feels like a deliberate dismantling of Palestinian life in plain sight, witnessed and documented every day by you, the Palestinian journalists.
With you, we saw the images of children's bodies being thrown from building to building by the force of the explosion. We saw the videos of families being burned alive. We saw the bodies of our colleagues killed. We saw the complete and utter destruction of Gaza's infrastructure, all around us.
We saw patients being turned away from hospitals after they were bombed. Every day, we see family members and friends killed or displaced. With you, we witness the daily atrocities. This should not be the term "daily atrocities."
As humanitarians, we can see that aid is being weaponized by the denial of its entry. There is no justification for refusing humanitarian aid. And aid should never be weaponized. Despite the challenges, we continue to try to do what we can to meet people's needs. But supplies are dwindling, and our ability to meet the ever-increasing needs across Gaza is diminishing.
Lives depend on lifting the closure, allowing aid into Gaza, and resuming the ceasefire, and I hope we see real accountability.
I hope we see real accountability instead of waiting for history to judge those who did nothing in the face of what we see today in Gaza.