GENEVA, Dec 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – The current humanitarian programme in Gaza “is no longer functioning well,” said head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at a press conference here yesterday.
Martin Griffiths expressed his grave concerns, saying, the relentless military assault has obliterated the once-established safe zones, rendering the existing humanitarian plan ineffective.
He said that, the initial design, aimed at protecting civilians and facilitating aid delivery, has crumbled. Consequently, what remains is a disjointed, opportunistic response, lacking reliability and sustainability.
Griffith, who also serves as a UN undersecretary-general, underscored the difficulties in planning and executing humanitarian deliveries at present. He said, the absence of safety guarantees could expose convoys to the risk of interruptions, attacks and diversions.
The pressure on the two million people of Gaza intensifies, as they are forcibly pushed further south, with no safe zones in sight and an uncertain future, he said.
Griffith underlined that on Dec 6, in an unprecedented move, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, emphasising the imminent threat to international peace and security, posed by what’s going on in Gaza.
According to him, an OCHA representative is currently in Jordan, actively coordinating potential aid deliveries through the Allenby Bridge, a crossing point between Jordan and the West Bank. Such deliveries can significantly enhance the logistical process and base for humanitarian operations.
The OCHA chief underlined that, humanitarian agencies remain unwavering in their commitment to assisting the people of Gaza. He called the international community to “not lose faith in the possibilities of humanity.”
An estimated 1.9 million people are displaced in Gaza (about 85 percent of the population), lacking necessities such as food, water, dignified shelter, sanitation facilities and medical care, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
A recent phone-based survey by the UN World Food Programme showed that, between 83 and 97 percent of families have no adequate food, and in some areas as many as 90 percent of households report spending a full day and night without any food, some even having no food for as many as 10 days, in the last month.– NNN-XINHUA
