Gaza: ‘The siege is the silent killer’

In the Gaza Strip, bombs and bullets are far from the only threat to life.

Residents lack food and clean water, health facilities are practically nonexistent, and communication with the outside world is patchy at best.

In a candid conversation with UN News’s Conor Lennon, Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), provided a harrowing account of her recent visit to the Gaza Strip, shedding light on the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding amidst the ongoing conflict.

The Gaza Strip, already grappling with bombs and bullets, faces additional threats to life, including a dire lack of food, clean water, and practically nonexistent health facilities. Touma emphasized the desperate conditions during her second visit since the conflict began, expressing solidarity with the people severely impacted by what she described as a “brutal war.”

During this visit, Touma explored the middle areas, including Deir al-Balah, and ventured into the south, visiting Rafah and Khan Younis. She described a heartbreaking scene of desperation, with displaced individuals clamoring for assistance and exhaustion palpable after three and a half months of relentless conflict.

The population of Rafah, in the south, has quadrupled since the war’s onset, as people seek refuge in the hope of finding safety. Touma observed makeshift shelters, simple structures of wooden poles covered with plastic sheeting, becoming home to many in the absence of safer alternatives.

Touma shared a poignant encounter with a mother living in one such informal structure, where 26 people were cramped into a space less than three square meters. The mother, carrying two children, lamented the lack of warmth, frustration, and exhaustion from their precarious life. She revealed that a single piece of vegetable was the only assistance shared among the 26 people, highlighting the grim conditions that many endure.

The communication blackout in Gaza, the longest since the war began, exacerbates the crisis. Touma described the challenges faced by the residents, unable to send messages or place calls due to severe damage to the telecoms network. The isolation contributes to a lack of safety, making it difficult for people to seek help or coordinate aid operations.

Touma emphasized the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire to bring respite to the people in Gaza and the broader region. She called for increased humanitarian supplies, particularly medicines for chronic diseases, and highlighted the silent killer of the siege, noting that people may be dying due to hunger, disease, or a lack of medical care.

In conclusion, Touma underscored the necessity for more commercial supplies to reach the private sector in Gaza, as the population increasingly relies on humanitarian assistance, which she deemed unsustainable in the medium and long term. The interview sheds light on the critical situation in Gaza and emphasizes the immediate need for international action to alleviate the suffering of the people caught in the crossfire.