UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag said that the situation in the war-ravaged enclave remains “absolutely catastrophic”, with Palestinian civilians enduring a “horrendous maelstrom of human misery”, according to a statement issued by the UN News.
Recently returned from the Gaza Strip, Kaag said that UN teams and partners are working to address the severe shortages of waste management and sanitation facilities, amid the risk of outbreaks of communicable diseases.
While in Gaza, she also visited a mobile maternity ward, run by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the non-profit International Medical Corps.
The top UN humanitarian official also noted that doctors have reported a rise in the rate of miscarriages in the first and second trimesters, though the reasons are not clear, and that this will be studied further by the experts.
Kaag also referred to the mechanism for accelerating humanitarian consignments to Gaza, which she is tasked with under Security Council resolution 2720.
“It is working, it is capturing aid supplies from Jordan, Cyprus, West Bank into Gaza,” she said, noting that negotiations are being finalized with Egypt and that the monitors are ready to be deployed inside Gaza.
“But what we need is an immediate and full ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and, of course, continued access to start to meet the needs,” she stressed.
The senior UN humanitarian also stated that the hospitals she visited also had children suffering severe, often chronic, medical conditions that required medical evacuation (medevac) for treatment.
Kaag also outlined key necessities for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground, especially safety and security for humanitarians as well as for the civilians they are seeking to assist.
She urged greater support for Palestinian NGOs, who despite heavy losses, continue their efforts to help those in need.
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