Joyce Msuya, a top UN official on Tuesday (Nov 12) condemned the ongoing “daily cruelty” in Gaza.
Msuya, the interim chief of the UN Humanitarian Agency (OCHA), condemning the ongoing violence in Gaza, said the “acts” were “reminiscent of the gravest international crimes”.
UN official describes the horrors of Gaza war
The OCHA interim chief described Gaza as a “wasteland of rubble,” where civilians were being driven from their homes and were being “forced to witness their family members killed, burned and buried alive”.
“What distinction was made, and what precautions were taken, if more than 70 per cent of civilian housing is either damaged or destroyed?” Msuya asked.
Slamming Israel, she said “We are witnessing acts reminiscent of the gravest international crimes,” adding “The daily cruelty we see in Gaza seems to have no limits.”
Msuya’s remarks came as part of a discussion on the growing risk of famine in Gaza, exacerbated by ongoing blockages of aid and the lowest levels of humanitarian assistance entering the region.
Famine in Gaza imminent?
On Friday (Nov 8), the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) issued a rare alert that an imminent famine in northern Gaza could unfold without urgent intervention from all parties involved.
Israel, however, has rejected the warnings. On Saturday (Nov 9) rejecting warnings about a potential famine in northern Gaza, where Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has led to severe shortages, the nation said researchers were relying on “partial, biased data”.
“Unfortunately, the researchers continue to rely on partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests,” said the Israeli military in a statement.
The United States has also acknowledged the urgency underscored by the FRC’s alert. A US State Department spokesperson on Saturday said that Washington was “concerned about the limited amount of aid reaching civilians living in Gaza” and that it was urging Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid entry and delivery.
The situation in Gaza has escalated dramatically since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left over 1,200 Israeli civilians dead. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has meanwhile resulted in at least 43,665 Palestinian deaths, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
(With inputs from agencies)
