Anurag Kumar
A group of six humanitarian organisations and eleven United Nations (UN) agencies’ directors have issued a joint appeal for an emergency humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. They urged the protection of civilians and expedited access to vital resources, including fuel, food, water, and medication, in a statement released on Sunday evening.
The heads of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory condemned the killing and hostage-taking of Israelis during Hamas’ surprise attacks on October 7 as “horrific.” They added, “It is an outrage that 2.2 million Palestinians are deprived of food, water, medicine, electricity, and fuel; the heinous killings of even more civilians in Gaza are an outrage.”
Hospitals are overburdened, and the United Nations and humanitarian organisations report that over 23,000 injured individuals require immediate medical attention.
The joint statement read, “An entire population is besieged and under attack, deprived of life-sustaining necessities, and bombed in their residences, shelters, medical facilities, and places of worship.”
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The statement emphasized the severe impact on humanitarian personnel, as scores of them have lost their lives since October 7. Among them are 88 companions of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the highest number of United Nations fatalities ever attributed to a single conflict. Advocates for the protection of civilians and the critical infrastructure on which they depend, such as schools, hospitals, and shelters, urged the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being held captive.
They stated, “More aid—fuel, food, water, and medicine—must enter Gaza in a secure, timely, and sufficient quantity, and it must reach those in need, particularly women and children, regardless of location.”
“Immediate humanitarian ceasefire is required. 30 days have passed. Simply put, enough is enough. “At this moment, this must cease.”
Meanwhile, Gaza experienced its third consecutive complete communications blackout subsequent to the Israeli offensive in the territory controlled by Hamas following the October 7 attacks. Paltel, a Palestinian communications corporation, declared that its “communication and internet services” were once more offline. The Associated Press reported that the Internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org confirmed that communications were disrupted throughout the besieged enclave.
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Despite ongoing US calls for Israel to cease its relentless bombardment of Gaza and the escalating number of civilian casualties, Israeli airstrikes struck two refugee centers in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to multiple reports. At least 53 people were killed and dozens were injured.
The Israel-Hamas conflict claimed the lives of over 9,700 Palestinians, of which over 4,000 were children or minors, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is operated by Hamas. Due to Israeli raids and acts of violence, over 140 Palestinians have been slain in the occupied West Bank.
