Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said he was speaking on behalf of the entire international aid community in saying the continuing offensive had robbed aid workers of any significant means of helping the 2.3 million people of Gaza, other than to call for an immediate end to the fighting.
The Israeli military said yesterday it had stormed southern Gaza's main city in the most intense day of fighting so far. Hospitals were left struggling to cope with scores of Palestinian dead and wounded.
"What we're saying today is: that's enough now. It has to stop," Griffiths said in a interview with the Guardian, adding that the small amount of aid being allowed into Gaza could no longer be distributed because the spread of the Israeli ground offensive to southern Gaza and the city of Khan Younis had brought the humanitarian operation effectively to an end.
"It isn't really a statistically significant operation anymore," said Griffiths, who is also the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. "It's a bit of a patch on a wound and it doesn't do the job, and it would be an illusion for the world to think that the people in Gaza can be helped by the humanitarian operation under these conditions."
"This is an apocalyptic situation now, because these are the remnants of a nation being driven into a pocket in the south," Griffiths said.
Denne historien er fra December 06, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra December 06, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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