UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (APP): As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced his deep regret about the resumption of deadly Israeli attacks in Gaza on Friday, UN humanitarian officials vowed to stay and help all those in need, while reiterating \u201cnowhere is safe from attacks\u201d in the ravaged enclave. The terrifying sound of shells exploding shortly after 7: 00 a.m. Gaza time was clearly audible at Nasser hospital in the south, where traumatised youngsters immediately reacted by clinging to their mothers in fright, said James Elder from the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bombs started just a few seconds after the ceasefire (ended),\u201d Elder told journalists at UN Geneva via video link from Khan Younis, before decrying the \u201congoing war on children\u201d. \u201cAs we approached Nasser hospital there had been a hit, a missile, a rocket, something\u2026Children with the wounds of war are everywhere, children with the wounds of war are still in corridors. Hundreds of women and children take refuge in here. You walk out of ICU (intensive care unit) and there are families of five on a mattress for two. The return to Israeli violence follows the end of a week-long pause in hostilities between Hamas and the Israeli occupation forces that allowed the delivery of desperately needed fuel, food and water, which people have been drinking as soon as it is given to them,<\/p>\n
humanitarian officials said. The pause also enabled the release of hostages taken during Hamas\u2019s 7 October surprise attack on southern Israel, and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Gaza\u2019s health authorities have reported more than 15,000 fatalities since the Israeli strikes began, with thousands of children believed buried under the rubble. The conflict has also created around 1,000 child amputees in recent weeks, Elder noted. In an interview later in the day with UN News, a news website, Elder demonstrated the reality that nowhere is safe in Gaza, describing scenes of bombardment close by from his base in the southern city of Rafah. He called on leaders involved in the conflict and with influence over the situation to understand that \u201cenabling these attacks to begin again is to allow the killing of more and more children.\u201d Writing on X, formerly Twitter, <\/p>\n
UN Chief Guterres led calls for the warring sides to return to the negotiating table to agree on a long-lasting ceasefire to allow desperately needed aid into Gaza. \u201cI deeply regret that military operations have started again in Gaza,\u201d he said. \u201cI still hope that it will be possible to renew the pause that was established. The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire.\u201d Echoing that call for peace, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, expressed deep concern at declarations by Israeli political and military leaders \u201cplanning to expand and intensify the military offensive\u201d. \u201cThe resumption of hostilities in Gaza is catastrophic,\u201d the UN rights chief said, before urging all parties and States with influence over the warring sides \u201cto redouble efforts, immediately, to ensure a ceasefire \u2013 on humanitarian and human rights grounds\u201d. The \u201cfull respect and protection of the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis\u201d remain critically important,<\/p>\n
Turk stressed, before calling for an immediate end to the violence and the prompt and unconditional release of all remaining hostages. He said civilians must be protected in line with international humanitarian law, appealing to Israel \u201cas the occupying power\u2026to ensure that the basic needs of the population in Gaza, such as food, water, and medical care, are met. I remind all parties of their obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, throughout Gaza.\u201d Medical needs continue to far outstrip available care, the UN health agency has warned, with some 5,000 beds required but only around 1,500 to hand and only 51 out of 72 primary healthcare facilities now functional, said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, speaking from Gaza. \u201cThe Gaza health system has been crippled by the ongoing hostilities and I want to stress that we cannot afford to lose any more hospitals or hospital beds,\u201d he said. Dr. Peeperkorn also highlighted a study in the medical journal The Lancet that confirmed mortality statistics reported by the enclave\u2019s health authorities in October. To date, more than 6,200 children have died, over 4,000 women and roughly 4,850 men, with over 36,000 injured, he said. At one small hospital in Gaza City that is one of three barely functioning trauma centres for the north of the enclave, staff are overwhelmed and \u201cbodies are lined up in the car park outside (and) the floor is just awash with blood,\u201d WHO Rob Holden, WHO Senior Emergency Officer, said. \u201cThe only way to describe it, <\/p>\n
it\u2019s like a horror movie. When you walk in there there are patients on the floor with the most traumatic injuries that you can imagine, potentially battlefield trauma. You know, the patients are given the best possible care, but the number of staff available is relatively small, any of these staff, have fled with their families or have been killed.\u201d \u201cThe supplies are just not enough. There have been major problems in getting supplies to the north of Gaza as well\u2026as you drive into the hospital, you are met with bodies of deceased who have died either on arrival at the hospital or during their stay at the hospital,<\/p>\n
lined up outside, waiting for family members to come and identify them.\u201d Speaking from Gaza, the WHO official explained that doctors, nurses, lab technicians and engineers \u201cwho keep the machinery running, the generators are running\u201d were working 22-hour days \u201cjust to give the most basic level of service\u201d. Echoing the call for peace, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that children, women and men in Gaza and Israel \u201cwoke up to war\u201d once again on Friday. \u201cParties to this conflict must protect civilians and provide access to humanitarian actors to deliver across Gaza and according to needs as per international humanitarian law,\u201d OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke. \u201cHumanitarian aid must continue unconditionally, hostages must be released unconditionally. The UN will continue to stay and deliver food, water, medical and other critical supplies to save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 02 (APP): As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced his deep regret about the resumption of deadly Israeli attacks in Gaza on Friday, UN humanitarian officials vowed to stay and help all those in need, while reiterating \u201cnowhere is safe from attacks\u201d […]<\/p>\n
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