UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini is calling for for an immediate truce, even if it is only for a few hours, to allow families to safely leave the area and find safer locations. Image: Shutterstock.
(The Post News)-Â The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) called for a temporary ceasefire in northern Gaza on Tuesday. This was done to assist in the evacuation of residents, as health officials were unable to offer proper medical care to those injured during the three-week Israeli attack.
Philippe Lazzarini, the leader of UNRWA, expressed that the humanitarian crisis had deteriorated significantly with corpses left on roadsides or covered in debris. He stated that he is requesting a truce to allow families to safely leave the area and reach safer locations, even if only for a short period. Moreover, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, upon his arrival in Israel, received a call regarding efforts to initiate a ceasefire in Gaza after the recent passing of ex-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Washington has urged Israel to increase the entrance of humanitarian supplies into northern Gaza. Israel claims to have permitted many aid trucks and airdrops, yet Palestinian health officials report no aid has been received, and the situation remains extremely challenging. Palestinian health officials and the civil emergency service said that multiple bodies of people shot by Israeli forces were found on the streets and buried beneath debris. Furthermore, health officials said that rescue personnel were unable to approach the dead because of the ongoing strikes.
Munir Al-Bursh, the director of the Gaza health ministry, currently in northern Gaza, mentioned that numerous wounded individuals passed away in front of them, and nothing could be done to help them. However, the Israeli military, which attacked Hamas fighters in Jabalia, is evacuating civilians along specific routes and separating militants from the rest of the population as they head south.
Israeli drones flew over, warning Palestinians to leave areas near Beit Lahiya, near the border where the offensive started near Jabalia to the south earlier this month. The latest health ministry data released on Tuesday shows that the death count in Israel’s offensive in Gaza is close to 43,000. The region is destroyed, with the majority of the 2.3 million residents forced to flee, with many seeking refuge in temporary shelters. The Israeli mission was prompted by a Hamas-led gunmen attack on communities near the Gaza Strip in October 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages to Gaza.
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