RAMALLAH, April 22, 2025 (WAFA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) accused Israel of using humanitarian aid as a "bargaining chip" and a "weapon of war" in the Gaza Strip, subjecting two million Palestinians, mostly women and children, to collective punishment. It called for the lifting of the 50-day-old blockade.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini denounced the situation in Gaza in a post on Twitter on Tuesday: "How long will it take for empty words of condemnation to translate into action to lift the blockade, resume a ceasefire, and save what remains of humanity?"
He added: "Fifty days have passed since the Israeli authorities imposed a blockade on Gaza. Hunger is spreading and worsening. It is deliberate and man-made. Gaza has become a land of despair."
Lazzarini continued: "Two million people—the majority of whom are women and children—are subjected to collective punishment, and the wounded, sick, and elderly are deprived of medicine and healthcare."
He pointed out that "at the same time, humanitarian organizations have aid ready to enter Gaza, including nearly 3,000 trucks of life-saving UNRWA aid."
The UN official warned that "essential supplies for people in need are nearing their expiration date," and explained that "humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip and a weapon in this war."
He stressed that "the blockade must be lifted, supplies must be allowed in immediately, the hostages (Israeli prisoners) must be released, and the ceasefire must be resumed."
On April 9, UNRWA warned that the Gaza Strip was approaching "extreme hunger," due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and the near depletion of remaining essential supplies.
UNRWA Director of Communications and Media, Juliette Touma, said that infants and children in the Gaza Strip "are going to bed hungry," as essential supplies in the Strip are nearly depleted.
This new phase of famine comes at a time when the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have yet to recover from a previous wave. During the past year and a half of genocide, Israel has deliberately restricted the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, depriving hundreds of thousands of poor families of their free food rations.
According to World Bank data, the genocide perpetrated by Israel has rendered all Palestinians in Gaza impoverished, meaning they are unable to provide their families with the bare necessities of life, including food and water.
Israel has closed the Gaza Strip's crossings to the entry of food, relief, medical aid, and goods since March 2, causing a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, according to government, human rights, and international reports.
Since October 7, 2023, the occupying forces have been committing a genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 168,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.
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