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‘Destined to die…please let it be sooner’: UN staffer's SOS text from Gaza amid Israel's warning
The UN arm working for Palestinian refugees shared updates from Gaza where its staffers call for immediate help amid the deepening humanitarian crisis.
Amid deepening humanitarian crisis and thousands of civialians in the northern region of Gaza Strip scrambling to head south after fresh warning from Israel ahead of a cross-border ground offensive, the UN arm working for Palestinian refugees shared a video depicting the ordeal of its staff members stuck amid the war in the region. At least 12 UN staffers died in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas, a declared militant group in Gaza. The Israeli military offered a new window for Gazans to move south after it gave a clear indication on Saturday of invading the enclave.
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) shared a clip on X (formerly Twitter) which shows WhatsApp messages of its staff Helen. Distraught by the airstrikes across the strip, the UN staffer shared how she wishes to die sooner than later if they are destined for it. She urged for help.
“None of us are fine. Those who were dead are living with us, and those alive are dead…They bombed the whole square, there are tens of bodies,” the staffer texted.
"'Please help us' The situation in the#GazaStrip is unbearable. These are the messages we're receiving from our @UNRWA colleagues," UNRWA wrote while sharing the clip.
In an another video, one of UNRWA staff members, Rawya Halas, shared the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
There are diabetics, children and even disabled among 15,000 Palestnian refugees who left their homes without food or drink, said Rawya. As the head of one of the UNRWA shelters in the region, Rawya said she can't tend to the needs of all the displaced people.
"The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire. Our @UNRWA colleague Rawya reports the desperate need for food, water, and medicine for the people fleeing their homes who are now dying without these supplies available," the post reads.
Israel faces a humanitarian challenge in its attempt to launch a ground offensive against Hamas, after the Islamist group in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets last weekend amid the ocassion of Jewish holiday known as Sabbath.
Earlier, the UN called on Israeli authorities to protect all civilians sheltered in UNRWA premises across the Strip. Despite the evacuation warning, there are many pregnant women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities who cannot flee the area.
