Hyderabad: With the siege of Israeli military getting harder by the hour in the tiny land strip of Gaza in response to the bloody incursions of Hamas, the UN World Food Prorgramme has warned that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of running out of food, water, electricity and critical supplies.
The UNWFP and the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA have delivered fresh bread from “bakeries still able to operate” and food to over 1,75,000 displaced people across 88 shelters on Wednesday, with plans to “reach over 8,00,000 people across Palestine”.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), mass displacement has been continuing, increasing by 30 per cent in just the previous 24 hours.
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The humanitarian situation in the #GazaStrip is worsening.
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) October 12, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Nearly 339,000 people have been displaced, with a majority seeking shelter in @UNRWA schools.
More in our latest update: https://t.co/KfLS1uzZca pic.twitter.com/fURWrBfCU8
">The humanitarian situation in the #GazaStrip is worsening.
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) October 12, 2023
Nearly 339,000 people have been displaced, with a majority seeking shelter in @UNRWA schools.
More in our latest update: https://t.co/KfLS1uzZca pic.twitter.com/fURWrBfCU8The humanitarian situation in the #GazaStrip is worsening.
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) October 12, 2023
Nearly 339,000 people have been displaced, with a majority seeking shelter in @UNRWA schools.
More in our latest update: https://t.co/KfLS1uzZca pic.twitter.com/fURWrBfCU8
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, in a media briefing in New York, said the cumulative figure is pegged over 3,38,000, "of whom over two thirds are taking shelter in schools run by UNRWA." Nearly 218,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) are sheltering in 92 UN schools.
The damage so far- As Israel continued to pummel the Strip with bombs, more than 2,500 units of housing have been destroyed or severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable. Nearly 23,000 houses have sustained moderate to minor damage, according to the UN.
Until the time of this report by the UN, at least 88 education facilities have been struck by bombs. Of which 18 are UNRWA schools including two being used as emergency shelters for displaced people and the rest 70 were run by Palestinian Authority.
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In #Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people lack access to food, water and essential supplies.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 12, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
WFP’s emergency operation can provide a vital lifeline to over 800K+ people in Gaza and the #WestBank.
Borders must be kept open and protected to allow humanitarian assistance. pic.twitter.com/thj2AO56SR
">In #Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people lack access to food, water and essential supplies.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 12, 2023
WFP’s emergency operation can provide a vital lifeline to over 800K+ people in Gaza and the #WestBank.
Borders must be kept open and protected to allow humanitarian assistance. pic.twitter.com/thj2AO56SRIn #Gaza, hundreds of thousands of people lack access to food, water and essential supplies.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 12, 2023
WFP’s emergency operation can provide a vital lifeline to over 800K+ people in Gaza and the #WestBank.
Borders must be kept open and protected to allow humanitarian assistance. pic.twitter.com/thj2AO56SR
"This means that for the sixth consecutive day, more than 600,000 children have had no access to education in a safe place in Gaza", said the Spokesperson.
The WFP also stressed that its food assistance stocks were running out and called for urgent aid access.
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Gaza hospitals at breaking point- The World Health Organisation (WHO) said hospitals in Gaza are "at a breaking point."
According to the UN health agency, hospitals have just a few hours of electricity each day. This means they have to force a ration on depleting fuel reserves to sustain just "the most critical functions" in the already overcrowded treatment areas.
The woes compound with acute shortages of medial supplies and it has limited the response capacity, WHO said.