Casualties continue to mount in Gaza: UN humanitarians

The casualty toll continues to mount among aid-seeking Palestinians and even some relief providers in Gaza despite the Israeli military tactical pause, UN humanitarians said Wednesday.

"We are still seeing casualties among those seeking aid and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "UN partners report high workloads, burnout and exhaustion, due mainly to the lack of food, among front-line workers."

The office said caseworkers in mental health and psycho-social support facilities are similarly affected.

OCHA said that although the conditions for delivering aid and supplies are far from sufficient, the UN and its partners are taking advantage of any opportunity to support people in need during the tactical pause.

The office cited the challenges it faces at the fenced-off Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing as an example.

"For our drivers to access it, Israeli authorities must approve the mission, provide a safe route through which to travel, provide multiple 'green lights' on movement, as well as a pause in bombing, and, ultimately, open the iron gates to allow us to enter," OCHA said.

The office said the world body was allowed to bring into Gaza limited quantities of fuel through the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and Zikim crossings. Almost half of the fuel was transferred to northern Gaza to support vital health, emergency, water and telecommunications needs.

However, it said the fuel allowed into Gaza is insufficient to meet life-saving critical needs.

A permanent ceasefire is needed more than ever. Unilateral tactical pauses alone do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza, said OCHA.

The office said the United Nations and partners continue to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza with the Israeli authorities.

"Yesterday, three facilitated missions allowed our staff to collect cargo containing food from the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and allowed for fuel to be transferred within Gaza," OCHA said. "However, the others faced impediments, particularly delays in receiving the green light to move by the Israeli authorities, and one had to be canceled."

The office said that to scale up the delivery of aid in a manner that begins to meet people's tremendous needs, all crossings must open, a broad range of supplies, both humanitarian and commercial, be allowed to enter, aid movements inside Gaza be safeguarded and facilitated promptly, and relief workers be allowed to do their job.