Geneva: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has called for the immediate opening of crossings and the sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The agency stressed the need to maintain pressure on Israel to enable humanitarian organisations to operate freely and not to choke off relief bound for Gaza.
According to Emirates News Agency, Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for UNRWA, stated during a video briefing with journalists in Geneva that there are large quantities of aid in the agency's warehouses. She emphasized that Gaza urgently needs unrestricted and uninterrupted support to help halt the spread of hunger.
Dr. Akihiro Seita, Director of Health at UNRWA, highlighted the primary concern of a potential famine in Gaza spiralling out of control. He noted that the agency holds a significant stockpile of medicines and other relief supplies and has volunteer doctors ready to deploy, but Israel is preventing their entry.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported that of nine aid trucks scheduled to enter Gaza yesterday, only five were allowed in. He anticipated that 100 trucks would be able to access Gaza today.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, commented on the violent hostilities in Gaza since 15th May, which have claimed many lives and displaced more than 34,000 people once again. Peeperkorn also addressed the psychological toll of the ongoing war, reiterating the World Health Organization's call for a ceasefire.