UN on Gaza: “situation has gone from being catastrophic to being on the brink of collapse”

Several representatives of the United Nations describe in the Gaza Stripwhere a 105-day war with Israel continues, a situation of extreme need for the civilian population, with 1.9 million displaced, food shortages and sick children.

“Since my last visit the situation has gone from being catastrophic to being on the verge of collapse“Ted Chaiban, deputy executive director of Unicef, said in a statement this Thursday after a three-day visit to the Palestinian enclave.

Chaiban said that there are more than 1.9 million displaced people, which is almost equivalent to 85% of the population of Gaza and said that many are trying to find shelter in Rafah (southern border area with Egypt), where countless makeshift plastic tents are crowded together. They can accommodate up to 20 people.

“It is difficult to understand the enormous mass of civilians on the border and the inhumane conditions in which they live. Water is scarce and poor sanitation is inevitableChaiban assured.

According to figures shared by the organization, in the last two months cases of diarrhea increased by 40% compared to before the escalation of hostilities. But in mid-December an increase of 4,000% was reached, with 71,000 cases registered among children under five years of age.

For its part, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) described how one of its schools in the city of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, has become a refuge for many displaced people.

“The overcrowding was claustrophobic and the dirt surprising. I’ve heard stories of women who prefer not to eat or drink water to avoid having to use unsanitary bathrooms.“, said in a statement Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, who also denounced”the prolonged and repeated blackouts in telecommunications.”

This Thursday, the Gaza Strip suffers its seventh consecutive day of telephone and internet outages, which according to the Gazan authorities could increase the number of fatalities, since the emergency health services do not have the means to communicate and be able to help the injured. .

At least 16 Palestinians, mostly children and women, died tonight after an Israeli airstrike against a house in Rafah, south of the enclave, the Wafa agency reported, and an unknown number died and were injured both in the north and in the central and southern area of ​​the Strip.

The total number of deaths is unknown due to the blackout of communication networks, but as of yesterday there were 24,450 dead and more than 61,500 injured since the beginning of the conflict on October 7; 70% of them children and women.