The UN's top humanitarian official has warned of an accelerating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, saying one in three people hasn't eaten "for days" and children are "wasting away" amid severe food aid shortages.
Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said on Sunday that despite Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, massive amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine.
"The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is devastating. One in three people in Gaza hasn't eaten for days. People are being shot just trying to get food to feed their families," Fletcher said in a statement on X.
Initial reports indicated that more than 100 truckloads of aid were collected from crossings to be transported into Gaza.
"Vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis."
He called for urgent, sustained access, faster convoy clearances, multiple daily trips to crossings, consistent fuel supplies and safe humanitarian corridors free from attacks.
"Aid must not be blocked, delayed or come under fire," he said.
Fletcher also reiterated the UN's demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
"Ultimately, of course, we don't just need a pause — we need a permanent ceasefire," he said.
Genocide
Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its carnage in the blockaded enclave.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel has reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins, and practically displaced all of its population.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
