Warning Bells Ring Loud for Gaza in Unpalatable Crisis
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Martin Griffiths, the UN's main humanitarian affairs chief, issued a damning statement on Monday, describing Gaza as a "catastrophic situation" with no end in sight. He expressed concern about the displacement of people with "decreasing survivability" and forced to make impossible choices. "This blatant disregard for basic humanity must cease," he stated.
Israel has intensified its airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip, pursuing the militant Palestinian group Hamas, and announced plans to expand ground operations across the entire region. On Monday, the military reported that clashes were still ongoing in the north, with two soldiers killed in close combat with Hamas militants.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel's military to shield civilians, particularly medical personnel, journalists, and UN personnel, from further harm. He pointed out that, despite evacuation orders, there are no safe havens in Gaza.
Palestinian civilians were ordered to vacate extensive parts of the Gaza Strip after ISF (Israeli Security Forces) published QR codes showing numerous maps with detailed information on areas deemed as unsafe by Israel. Telecommunication outages and power shortages in Gaza made it unclear how many residents had received the warning.
IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conrick acknowledged that the QR code system to mark unsafe areas was imperfect but suggested it was the best solution for now. As of last week, approximately 1.8 million people – 80% of Gaza's population – had been internally displaced, according to UN data.
A series of disturbing videos emerged, showing roughly two-dozen injured in the ruins, being transported to hospitals in southern Gaza. One Reuters video showed a baby being carried into the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, seemingly unconscious and being attended to by medical staff.
"They told us to leave Gaza because there was war there, so we left (the northern region) and came here, just as they wanted," the father of the baby, Ibrahim Esbay, said in the video, pointing at the child. "But we found the same thing here."
Residents in Salah Alja in Rafah were observed attempting to rescue their loved ones with bare hands from the rubble. "We slept and felt secure. They said Rafah and these areas were safe, but at 10:20 they blocked us here and destroyed everything, children, women, and martyrs." said an anonymous resident to Reuters.
"There is no safe zone. Whether it's Rafah, Khan Younis, Gaza, or Deir, they are liars. They told us to request asylum, and they evicted Khan Younis and Gaza, but they continue bombing us."
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) warned of the impending disaster if Israel widened its military operation and pointed out that 60,000 refugees were seeking shelter in UN facilities.
"The evacuation order forced people to concentrate on less than one-third of Gaza's territory. They need food, water, shelter, and above all, safety. Roads to the south are blocked," Lazzarini stated, also highlighting a restriction on water supply in Gaza.
Upon the U.S. government's request and agreement with Egypt, 180 humanitarian aid trucks with food, water, building materials, and medical supplies were dispatched to Gaza on Monday, said the Israeli coordinator of government activities in the Territories. Egypt is also reported to have provided two diesel tanks to humanitarian organizations working in the region.
The Crumbling Healthcare System
As the conflict drags on for the third month, the remaining healthcare facilities and infrastructure in Gaza remain critically underserved, struggling to meet the needs of the affected population, according to experts.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 18 out of 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were still operational, though they could only offer partial services, and the 12 hospitals in the south were the backbone of the healthcare system.
A WHO team assessing Al-Nasser Hospital in the south noted that the situation was dire due to the influx of patients. "The building and hospital compound are severely overloaded with asylum-seeking patients and displaced persons," they stated in their report. "The emergency department is overflowing with patients... many patients are being treated on the floor."
In an audio message published on Monday, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the desperate conditions in Al-Nasser Hospital following an explosion less than 100 meters away. "It must have been a hundred people, children woken up by bombs and explosions," he said, while babies were heard crying in the background.
"The look on the parents' faces was... a feeling no parent should ever have to experience, a feeling of helplessness," Elder added.
The Israeli military bombed hospitals in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday evening, causing serious damage. The hospital's media team told CNN over the phone that the situation was "critical." They reported hearing artillery fire and gunshots in the vicinity of the hospital and stated that the hospital's interior was damaged due to splintered shrapnel from explosions striking near the facility.
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas accused Israel's military of attacking Kamal Adwan Hospital in a statement made late Monday. CNN was unable to independently verify these claims, and the Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) maintains that they target Hamas infrastructure across the entire Gaza Strip.
Report by Tamar Michaelis, Lauren Kent, Lina El Wardani, Abeer Salman, and Kareem Khadder for CNN.
Related Readings
The global community must decide to provide greater aid to the Middle East population, as the suffering intensifies and the crisis deepens.
The situation in Gaza remains at a critical juncture, highlighting the urgent need for intensified humanitarian support beyond the current provisions.
Israel and Palestinian authorities must consider that the entire Middle East's predicament requires attention – a holistic solution taking into account all conflict-affected regions can provide long-term improvement.
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