Gaza - New York: Europe and the Arabs

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs warned that the number of people facing catastrophic famine in Gaza could exceed half a million, exceeding 640,000 this month, stressing that "the women, elderly, and children of Gaza cannot bear to hear expressions of concern," according to the UN's daily news bulletin this morning, Tuesday. This came at a press conference held in New York on Monday, where Mr. Tom Fletcher reiterated that the current famine in Gaza could have been predicted and prevented.
He pointed out that the United Nations and its partners could save lives in the Strip on a massive scale if they were allowed to do so, as they did during the ceasefire earlier this year. He explained that the plan to stop the famine in Gaza is simple: "A ceasefire, hundreds of trucks entering daily, full access, safe roads, an end to bureaucratic delays, the restoration of electricity and water, and the opening of commercial traffic." All this is not complicated.
"The rules of war are eroding"
Mr. Fletcher said the crisis in Gaza is occurring against a backdrop of "the rules of war being eroded by the day," with Israeli ministers speaking openly about "destroying Gaza, forcing people into permanent displacement, and bombing food aid."
He added: "I don't think we have to choose between condemning the starvation of civilians in Gaza and demanding the unconditional release of hostages. We have to do both. We don't have to choose between fighting anti-Semitism and holding Israel to the same laws as any other country. We must do both.”
“Looting will disappear.”
The Under-Secretary-General said that UN convoys also face a lot of looting, but estimates indicate that most of it comes from desperate civilians who are “starving, trying to feed their families, or from some armed gangs who operate—apparently with impunity—around those areas that we then have to drive through on pre-determined routes that are given to us.”
In response to a question, he said that the UN assessment is that Hamas “doesn’t generally interfere with the distribution of aid, which we do through community networks and so on. We haven’t encountered major obstacles from them, but of course, they have to release the hostages. That is clearly an obstacle, and we need some kind of transition to a better system for managing Gaza as a whole.”
He said that the humanitarian community feels confident that its system ensures that the majority of aid reaches civilians. He added: “If we are allowed to operate, and if we can get hundreds of trucks into Gaza every day, the looting will disappear, and prices in the markets will fall.” We know we can do it, and we can do it even under these very difficult circumstances.
Humanitarian Action in the Storm
Regarding the broader humanitarian situation worldwide, Mr. Fletcher said the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, which begins next week, is the “most important in a long time.”
He added that there are many who “would like to weaken the UN, which is of course a reckless act of self-harm,” and that the organization must fend off challenges to its “legitimacy and trust.”
He said that humanitarian action is facing a “perfect storm” of underfunding, exhaustion, and attacks. He noted that humanitarian operations are only 19% funded so far this year, a 40% decrease from last year. He noted that hundreds of aid organizations have closed, and estimated that the sector as a whole has “already shrunk by a third” since he took office 10 months ago.
The Under-Secretary-General confirmed that more than 380 aid workers were killed last year, the highest number ever, and that 270 have already been killed this year. The year.
He added: "Violence against us has become normalized. This is an age of impunity. So, the question I wish was asked more often is: Where do these weapons that kill us and those we serve come from? They don't come from nowhere."

Humanitarian Sector Reform
Mr. Fletcher said the humanitarian sector is already undergoing a process of reform to address overlaps, unnecessary processes, and duplication. He said it is essential to build "new alliances" around those in need of assistance, to renew our working methods.
He added: "The old model is gone, and we regret the consequences for those we serve. But we will not stand idly by and be held back from moving forward with the changes needed to ensure that we save as many lives as possible with the funds we have available.”
He said this shift will translate into more direct cash assistance, putting women and girls at the heart of the response, as well as “simpler and faster appeals, stronger local leadership, and greater accountability and power closer to the communities we serve.”
The Under-Secretary-General emphasized that the voice of Member States in support of the United Nations, its humanitarian work, and what it stands for is increasingly louder.
In response to questions from journalists, he said that the humanitarian community recognizes that the United States has been shouldering a large part of the humanitarian bill. He added that this funding has saved hundreds of millions of lives over a long period, but he believes it is “right to try to distribute this burden more fairly.”