OCHA Official: ’Israeli’ War on Gaza Defies Decency, Law, Humanity

By Staff, Agencies

Palestinian civil defense teams announced that they had recovered the bodies of 15 martyrs in the Tal al-Sultan area of Rafah, southern Gaza. The martyrs, included civil defense personnel, Palestinian Red Crescent medics, and an employee for UNRWA.

In a video conference, Jonathan Whittall, senior humanitarian affairs officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] in the occupied Palestinian territory, called the case "emblematic" of the low point reached in Gaza, detailing how what is taking place "defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law. It really is a war without limits."

Whittall emphasized the severe situation, stating that "as of today, 64% of Gaza is under active forced displacement orders or falls within the so-called buffer zone."

He cautioned that "nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza" as victims are bombarded while attempting to get food, and aid depots are destroyed.

The official rejected "Israeli" assertions that Gaza has enough food. "Supplies were literally drip-fed" into the strip, Whittall argued.

"There are no humanitarian solutions to the crisis," he said, urging political action and accountability.

Despite the tragedy, he emphasized that Palestinians maintain optimism, adding that "hope dies last in Gaza," encouraging nations to uphold international law and advocate for a ceasefire.

As for today's strikes, "Israeli" airstrikes since dawn Wednesday have reportedly claimed lives of over 68 Palestinians, as relentless bombardment across the Strip continues.

Meanwhile, every bakery in the Gaza Strip has suspended operations indefinitely due to a serious lack of flour and fuel, which resulted from a month-long "Israeli" siege that prevented these basic supplies from entering the Strip. 

According to Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, the chairman of the Gaza Bakery Association, the closing of bakeries in Gaza means the halt of all bakeries participating in the World Food Programme [WFP].

Al-Ajrami described the present scenario as an ongoing hunger war, with bakeries in the southern Gaza Strip closing their doors yesterday and those in central and northern Gaza anticipated to follow suit starting today.

According to al-Ajrami, the scenario is increasing Gaza's dismal living circumstances, which have already been hampered by continued "Israeli" aggression, with inhabitants now facing a lack of cooking gas.