UNRWA: Israel imposes deadly siege on 60,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza

Jonathan Fowler, Senior Communications Manager for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said that 60,000 Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip are completely isolated and surrounded by death on all sides under the tight Israeli blockade.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Fowler addressed the issue of the faltering entry of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza and the Strip in general, which has been subjected to Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023.

Israel continues to prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for 62 days and is home to about 60,000 Palestinians, according to Fowler.

On October 5, the Israeli army invaded the northern Gaza Strip. The Palestinians say that Israel wants to occupy the north and turn it into a buffer zone after displacing them, under the pressure of continuous bloody bombing and a tight siege that prevents the entry of food, water and medicine.

Prohibited aids

Fowler pointed out that the Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of severe tragedy and humanitarian crisis.

"Everywhere you look there are signs of a catastrophe in every sense of the word. There are shortages of medicine, food and drinking water," he said.

"The population of Gaza is about 2 million people and they are completely dependent on humanitarian aid for their survival. This is a man-made disaster and it is absolutely unconscionable that this continues," he added.

Speaking about the decline in the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, Fowler said that "only 75 trucks were able to enter the Strip through all border gates on November 27."

He recalled that approximately 500 aid trucks must enter Gaza daily to meet the basic needs of Palestinians in the Strip, a number that has never been achieved since October 7, 2023.

Tragedy Center

The UN official explained that his organization was unable to reach northern Gaza, which is under siege.

He said: "Israel is still preventing us from entering northern Gaza to continue humanitarian aid work. There has been a siege for about 62 days in northern Gaza, and 60,000 Palestinians live there."

"People there are completely isolated, they have no food or water, not even ambulances or similar services," he added.

"People are left to fend for themselves," Fowler added. "Death is all around them."

He warned of "increasing risks of malnutrition in northern Gaza. This result is not surprising for an area that has not received food for 62 days."

"People in this besieged area will die of hunger. What can they do if they can't get relief supplies? There's basically nothing to eat," he continued.

He said they try to reach those in need in northern Gaza every day, but Israel keeps preventing them.

Difficult decision

Fowler pointed out that they were forced to stop delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in early December, due to problems related to operational security.

He stressed the need for humanitarian aid workers to be able to work as safely as possible.

The UN official held Israel "responsible for protecting humanitarian aid from theft after it enters the Strip through the crossings."

On August 11, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz quoted unnamed sources in international relief organizations operating in Gaza as saying that “the Israeli army is allowing gunmen to loot aid trucks in Gaza and extort protection money from their drivers.”

During 61 days of genocide and ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, more than 3,700 Palestinians were killed or missing, about 10,000 others were injured, and 1,750 were arrested, according to a statement issued by the government media office on December 2.

The government office said in its statement: "The occupation prevented the work of civil defense teams in the governorate, in addition to destroying vital sectors, most notably the health sector and hospitals, and destroying water and sewage networks, infrastructure, road networks and streets, which exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the governorate."

With full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 150,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people.

Anatolia