While the UN humanitarian agency for the Palestinians (UNWRA) has experienced a sudden drop in its funding, NGOs fear the worst for the displaced and hungry Gazan population.
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza risks reaching “a breaking point”, according to UNRWA, the Palestinian humanitarian agency of the United Nations.
Faced with the riots of hunger and thirst which multiply with each humanitarian aid distribution operation, the head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, declared that his colleagues had already had to cease all their activities in the north of Gaza and that reserves would be completely exhausted by March.
If the distribution is interrupted, it is also because of the scandal which has rocked the UNWRA in recent weeks. Israel has in fact accused the agency of employing Hamas militants, some of whose members are said to have actively participated in the October 7 massacres against Israeli civilians. Since then, the agency has lost approximately $450 million in funding from its major donors.
In this explosive context, various NGOs have warned of an immediate danger of famine and disease amid Israeli ground operations and airstrikes.
On Friday, at least 25 people were killed in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his vision for the post-war Gaza Strip on Friday, proposing to cede its control to Palestinian civilians with no ties to Hamas or similar/affiliated groups, while Israel would effectively maintain its military presence in the Strip for an indefinite period.
This project was categorically rejected by the Palestinian parties. The United States did not reject it directly, but made clear that it was nonsense: the Biden administration seeks Palestinian governance in Gaza and the West Bank with the ultimate goal of a Palestinian state, while the plan of Netanyahu leaves him no chance in the short or medium term.
