UN Chief Warns Gaza Aid Delivery Could Collapse

By Staff, Agencies

As the war intensified on Wednesday, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, invoked a rarely used clause in the UN charter to raise the issue on his own initiative before the security council, to warn that the conflict “may aggravate existing threats to international peace and security.”

“We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system,” Guterres wrote in a letter to the council. “The situation is fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”

He added: “Amid constant bombardment by the ‘Israeli’ Forces, and without shelter or the essentials to survive, I expect public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible.

“An even worse situation could unfold, including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into neighboring countries.”

The UN and aid agencies say nowhere in Gaza is safe anymore. According to the UN, 1.87 million people, more than 80% of Gaza’s population, have left their homes. Many have had to flee shelter several times to avoid the ‘Israeli’ invasion.

The UN Human Rights Office said on Tuesday that “the pattern of attacks that target or impact on civilian infrastructure raises serious concerns about ‘Israel’s’ compliance with international humanitarian law and significantly raises the risk of atrocity crimes.”