The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued an alarming warning about the dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, describing the trickle of aid currently reaching the besieged enclave as woefully inadequate in the face of Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, took to social media on Friday to denounce the critical shortages and suffering endured by Palestinians in Gaza since the Israeli occupation authorities shut all border crossings on March 2, effectively choking off humanitarian lifelines.

“The aid reaching Gaza now is like a needle in a haystack,” Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, highlighting that for over eleven weeks, Palestinians have been systematically denied food, medicine, and basic necessities amid relentless bombing and destruction. “People are surviving under conditions of hunger, deprivation, and the denial of basic life necessities,” he added.

Since the start of the latest Israeli campaign—widely condemned across the globe as a genocidal war against the Palestinian people—international aid organizations have struggled to deliver supplies to more than 2.3 million residents in Gaza, most of whom are displaced and starving.

UNRWA, the largest aid provider in the Strip, has faced mounting obstacles in carrying out its work, with warehouses destroyed, convoys obstructed, and aid workers killed. The closure of key crossings, including Rafah and Kerem Shalom, has paralyzed humanitarian logistics and left Gaza teetering on the edge of famine.

Lazzarini stated unequivocally that the only way to prevent further catastrophe is to ensure “a continuous and effective flow of aid,” calling for a minimum of 500 to 600 trucks per day under United Nations coordination, including through UNRWA.

Pro-Palestinian activists and international human rights organizations have accused Israel of weaponizing starvation as part of a broader policy of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment against Gaza’s civilian population. The agency's warning comes amid rising global outrage and mass protests demanding an end to the siege and immediate humanitarian access.

Despite growing calls from the international community, including Muslim-majority countries and civil society groups worldwide, Israel continues to block relief operations, fueling fears of a deepening humanitarian disaster.

Lazzarini’s statement adds to mounting evidence that Israel’s siege tactics are not only violations of international law but constitute a deliberate attempt to collapse Gaza’s society through starvation and despair.

As Gaza’s children die of hunger, the world watches. The UNRWA’s urgent appeal is a call to conscience, demanding action before an already unspeakable tragedy descends further into the abyss. (ILKHA)