The head of the United Nations agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees has warned that aid workers in Gaza are collapsing from hunger, as starvation deaths continue to rise and ceasefire talks have stalled.
“This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave … When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), on Thursday.
At least 45 people have died of hunger in the past four days. The UN and humanitarian organisations blame Israel’s near-total blockade of aid into Gaza for the deepening food crisis.
Lazzarini said a staff member in Gaza had confided to him: “People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses.”
He noted that Unrwa has enough supplies to fill 6,000 trucks currently waiting in Jordan and Egypt, and called on Israel to allow “humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza”.
Disturbing accounts and images have emerged in recent days, showing people fainting or dying from hunger.
As calls grow internationally for an end to the nearly two-year conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
It comes after Keir Starmer said Palestinians have an inalienable right to statehood.
The PM made a major announcement on the Middle East on Thursday night as cabinet ministers urged further action amid a humanitarian crisis.
The UK government has previously expressed its intention to recognise Palestine as part of a larger peace initiative but insists this will happen alongside other Western nations, such as the United States.
In a statement, Sir Keir said: “It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this.
We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.”
He added: “The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.”