UNRWA: Gaza situation reached the level of a 'great catastrophe'

CAIRO - 24 May 2025: Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), confirmed that the situation in the Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of humanitarian deterioration, describing it as a "major catastrophe."

 

In press statements from Cairo, he added that all residents of the Gaza Strip, without exception, have been subjected to a systematic and dangerous process of starvation since the beginning of the war on October 7.

 

Abu Hasna, during a phone call to Al-Qahera News TV channel, indicated that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are starving, while Gaza is witnessing widespread internal displacement, exceeding 600,000 people, particularly from Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and areas east of the Strip. He said that these residents had previously lost everything and are now being forcibly displaced to other areas within Gaza under bombardment and danger.

 

Abu Hasna explained that the ongoing killings are no longer justified, even by the Israeli side, as civilians, including children and the elderly, are being targeted daily without any justification, contrary to what was previously promoted. He stressed that hundreds are being killed or injured daily in tragic circumstances.

 

Regarding aid, the spokesperson revealed that no more than 130 trucks have entered the Gaza Strip, despite security approvals for more than 400. He concluded by citing warnings from UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini that the elderly are dying due to a lack of medicine, and that the threat of famine and inevitable death threatens tens of thousands of residents unless urgent action is taken.