The UN declares that “there is no safe place for civilians anywhere in Gaza.” They made a similar statement in January 2024. In October 2023, after Israel’s bombing campaign in response to the horrific October 7 terrorist attack, UN High Commissioner Volker Türk stated that “[t]here is no safe place in Gaza and there is no way out.”
The situation in Gaza is beyond horrific. A widespread food shortage exists throughout the strip. Civilians die from hunger every day. This crisis is dire not only because of continued military attacks but also because of an entirely preventable famine.
What is happening in Gaza is hard to witness. A dire situation has become catastrophic. And for what? Religious fundamentalists who battle at the expense of civilian populations. A religiously fanatic organization clinging to power. A right-wing prime minister desperately trying to keep his post.
After the October 7 terror attack—an attack that “scarred souls” with victims suffering “unspeakable violence, including clear cases of sexual assault,” according to the UN Secretary-General, and already a devastating blow to Israeli civilians—the civilian situation has only worsened. The UN Commission of Inquiry has documented detailed findings of these attacks.
Over 60,000 casualties have been reported, with more than 150,000 injured. Much of Gaza’s housing has been destroyed. According to UNOCHA, 69 percent of all structures throughout the Strip have been damaged or destroyed.
Large food shortages plague Gaza, with a quarter of Gaza’s population facing famine. The current situation in Gaza—particularly regarding personal safety from war and access to food—cannot be understated.
People in Gaza have lost their homes. At least 1.9 million people, or about 90 percent of the population, have been displaced, many repeatedly, some 10 times or more. Access to clean water is sparse: only one in 10 people can currently access safe drinking water. Israel has artificially limited the clean water supply. In overcrowded refugee camps, sanitary conditions are dire, and access to necessary sanitary products is often impossible.
People in the region paint a bleak picture, and a political or diplomatic solution remains far out of sight.
While certain countries have begun taking steps toward peace, major powers remain too busy playing politics instead of working toward solutions.
We are making some progress, but it’s far too little and comes far too late. The time to act was long ago; the next best time is now.
I believe we as people are judged by how we treat our peers, especially the most vulnerable among us. What is currently happening in Gaza fails many people profoundly. It fails the civilians living there and the young children who have no hope, who have never known any life other than war. The international community fails the most vulnerable people there. We need a strong international effort to resolve the hunger crisis, end the current armed conflict, and ensure a working two-state solution for the region. We must act. And we must act now.
This conflict cannot be managed. It must be resolved. We cannot wait for perfect conditions. We must create them. We cannot defer peace efforts until suffering becomes unbearable. We must act before it is too late.
— António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressing the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Source