JERUSALEM, Saturday, June 29, 2024 (WAFA) – The United Nations agency responsible for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has decried the living conditions endured by residents of the Gaza Strip as “unbearable” and “extremely dire”.

Speaking during a press briefing from central Gaza via video-link to Geneva, Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for UNRWA, lamented: “It’s really unbearable. Today, it has to be the worst it’s ever been. I don’t doubt that tomorrow again will be the worst it’s ever been”.

Expressing shock at the devastation in Khan Younes, Wateridge, who spent four weeks outside Gaza before her return, said: “The buildings are skeletons, if at all. Everything is rubble.” Despite the severe damage, people have returned to these structures, living amidst collapsed walls and makeshift coverings to shield themselves from the elements.

“Gazans are forced to live in bombed-out buildings or camp next to giant piles of trash,” she added.

Israel has proceeded with its genocidal offensive on the war-torn Strip in complete disregard of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered Israel in a legally binding decision to halt its military offensive in Rafah, which may violate its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least 37,834 Palestinians and injuring over 86,858 others.

Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

K.F.