‘Teaspoon of aid, flood needed’: UN chief blasts Israel for blocking Gaza relief access
The World Health Organization has warned that Gaza’s health system is nearing collapse amid Israel’s intensified military operations.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres came down heavily on Israel Friday for permitting just “a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required” into Gaza, and made clear the UN will not join the new US-backed aid distribution plan.
“Without rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more people will die – and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound,” Guterres told reporters.
Israel claimed that about 300 aid trucks have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing since lifting the 11-week blockade on Monday. However, Guterres said only around a third have reached warehouses inside Gaza due to security issues.
Israel has permitted a temporary resumption of aid deliveries by the UN and other organisations until a new US-backed distribution system, managed by the recently formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, becomes operational by month’s end.
The UN has criticised the plan as lacking impartiality and neutrality, refusing to participate.
Israel maintains its blockade aims to prevent Palestinian militant group Hamas from diverting aid supplies, a claim Hamas denies. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s plan involves private security contractors transporting aid to secure hubs, where civilian humanitarian teams will handle distribution.
WHO warns Gaza’s health system nears collapse as hospitals suspend services amid conflict
“The United Nations has been clear: We will not take part in any scheme that fails to respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality,” Guterres said.
The United Nations and its partners have a plan ready to deliver the much-needed aid into Gaza, Guterres said.
“The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting,” he said, adding, “This is my urgent appeal for life-saving aid to reach the long-suffering people of Gaza: Let’s do it properly. And let’s do it immediately.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that Gaza’s health system is nearing collapse amid Israel’s intensified military operations, worsening mass displacement, and severe shortages of essential supplies.
Four major hospitals in Gaza have suspended medical services in the past week due to nearby incidents. WHO teams trying to access Al-Awda Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital were blocked, the agency reported.
With Reuters inputs
