The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Friday expressed concern over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of Israel's over 15 months of genocidal war against Palestinians, which has left at least 1.9 million people homeless.
In a statement, the UNRWA stated that "at least 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza due to the war. Many of them have been forced to live in makeshift shelters, such as those in the Al-Mawasi area, in southwest Gaza.”
"Most homes are either completely destroyed or uninhabitable,” UNRWA said, emphasizing that "rebuilding infrastructure and lives and addressing the trauma will take years.”
The organization also stressed that "as soon as the cease-fire took effect, UNRWA teams have been working nonstop to start distributing food aid in northern Gaza.”
"Living among the rubble left by months of intense bombardment, people are in dire need of this life-saving assistance,” it noted.
The UNRWA is essential to delivering "humanitarian aid at this scale."
The first six-week phase of a Gaza cease-fire agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 111,500 since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three-phase agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins and its residents displaced, hungry and prone to disease.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the enclave.
