The United Nations has issued a sharp condemnation of Israel’s continued blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, describing the measure as “cruel collective punishment”.
In a statement on Thursday, 1 May, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said Israel’s decision to block all aid into Gaza, now entering its third month, is depriving Palestinians of basic necessities, including food, medical care, and shelter.
“They have been bracingly honest that this policy is to pressurise Hamas,” Fletcher said. “But aid, and the civilian lives it saves, should never be a bargaining chip… Blocking aid kills.”
He added that the latest aid mechanism proposed by Israel “does not meet the minimum bar for principled humanitarian support,” and urged Israeli authorities to lift the blockade immediately.
The call comes as Gaza’s health system is on the brink of collapse, with hospitals overwhelmed, critical supplies cut off, and diseases such as acute watery diarrhea on the rise due to deteriorating hygiene conditions.
The World Health Organization reports severe shortages in essential medicines, fuel, and medical equipment, with Israel reportedly denying eight out of nine UN attempts to retrieve fuel from mid-April onwards.
The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate. In just the last week of April alone, 437 people were killed and over 1,000 injured amid intensified bombardments from land, sea, and air.
Humanitarian partners estimate that more than 423,000 people have been newly displaced in recent weeks, with no safe shelter to turn to. Strikes have increasingly targeted residential areas and even tents housing displaced families, particularly in Rafah and Gaza City.
The UN Human Rights Office recorded at least 99 such strikes on tents of internally displaced people since mid-March, many of which were fatal.
“These attacks raise grave concerns over violations of international law,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, warning that deliberately targeting civilians could amount to war crimes.
On Friday 2 May, a ship from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots group of international activists opposing the Gaza blockade, was reportedly struck by drones off Malta. The group, which included Greta Thunberg, blamed Israel for the attack.
In the West Bank, conditions remain dire. Israeli military operations in the north have displaced around 40,000 Palestinians since January, many of whom remain unable to return home.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 52,400 Palestinians have been killed and over 118,000 injured since the start of Israel’s military offensive in October 2023.
