Guterres: Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering

The humanitarian aid network providing critical life-saving services to people in the besieged Gaza Strip is at risk of failure, which risks “unimaginable consequences” for Gaza’s over 2 million people, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday.

“The humanitarian system in Gaza is facing a total collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than 2 million civilians. As the bombing intensifies, needs are growing ever more critical and colossal,” Guterres said in a statement, according to AFP.

“Given the desperate and dramatic situation, the United Nations will not be able to continue to deliver inside Gaza without an immediate and fundamental shift in how aid is going in,” he added.

“Misery is growing by the minute. Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering. Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is a moment of truth. History is judging us all,” said Guterres.

The UNRWA, the UN’s Palestine refugee agency, confirmed earlier Friday that 53 of its staffers have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. The death toll marks a dramatic escalation from figures put out by the agency only Thursday, when it said 39 of its staff and personnel had been killed.

Hamda Mustafa