The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) described the health and living conditions in the Gaza Strip as “inhumane”.
Through the social media platform X, the agency reported, “Mountains of garbage are accumulating in central areas of Gaza while sewage water leaks into the streets.”
The UNRWA added, “Families have no choice but to live next to these accumulating wastes, exposing them to foul odors and the risk of an imminent health disaster,” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
This humanitarian crisis occurs in the context of a broad attack launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas attack on settlements around Gaza on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the capture of over 250 others.
The ongoing Israeli attacks have raised the death toll in Gaza to 41,595 Palestinians with another 96,251 reported injured, according to health authorities in the sector as of this Sunday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern about the escalating Israeli aggression on Lebanon in the past 24 hours, calling for efforts to prevent the region from descending into a full-scale war.
According to the United Nations Media Center, Guterres emphasized the urgent need to halt this cycle of violence immediately and for all parties to step back from the brink, as the people of the region cannot withstand the outbreak of a full-scale war.
He urged the parties to fully commit to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701 and to immediately return to a cessation of hostilities, reiterating his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages held there.
