JERUSALEM, Friday, November 10, 2023 (WAFA) – In response to the unprecedented Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and increasing needs in the West Bank, the UN Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA) has launched an expanded Flash Appeal for $481 million to address the most critical humanitarian needs of people impacted in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

“One month into a tight siege and a brutal war, the humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip are colossal. They grow by the hour. Last week in Gaza, children asked me if I had a piece of bread or a sip of water. It was one of the saddest moments,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the Paris Humanitarian Conference yesterdy, where he reiterated his calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and an increased flow of humanitarian assistance.

“Our abilities are stretched to the limits, as our staff themselves are displaced, enduring huge losses and mourning 99 UNRWA colleagues killed,” he added, referring to 99 UNRWA staffed killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza over the last month.

Due to the relentless bombardments by Israeli occupation forces, nearly half of Gaza’s houses have reportedly been destroyed or damaged. "The entire population is undergoing collective punishment," the UNRWA said.

Even with the increased numbers of trucks in the last few days, only a trickle of food, water and basic survival items are allowed in. Around 70 per cent of people were forced to flee their homes. Of those, more than 720,000 are in 150 UNRWA shelters across the Gaza Strip.

The conditions in the shelters are appalling; hundreds are sharing one toilet and a shower. No fuel – critical for the UNRWA operations, medical facilities, bakeries, and water stations – has come into Gaza since 7 October.

M.N