Terror and chaos for Gaza’s people now entering the ‘death phase’

This article is published in association with United Nations.

After another deadly weekend in Gaza in which at least 67 Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking food, UN aid teams on Monday described “mayhem” and starvation in the enclave as the Israeli military pushed into Deir Al-Balah for the first time. 

In an alert, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, relayed desperate testimonies from its colleagues who are also struggling to survive in the war-torn enclave.

“We’re in the death phase,” one UNRWA worker said. “Everything around people at the moment is death, whether it’s bombs or strikes, children wasting away in front of their eyes from malnourishment, from dehydration, and dying.”

Doctors and nurses who continue to work in the UN agency’s clinics and medical centres “are watching children disappear and die in front of their eyes, and there’s absolutely nothing that they can do about it,” the worker continued.  

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Civilians ‘faced sniper and tank-fire’

The development comes after desperate Gazans seeking aid came under fire at the weekend “from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire”, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

In a detailed statement after the incident on Sunday 20 July, it explained that a 25-truck lorry convoy crossed the Zikim border point in northern Gaza “destined for starving communities”.

Shortly after passing the final checkpoint after the Zikim crossing point, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians waiting to access food supplies. This was when the shooting began, leaving “countless” Gazans dead, WFP said, echoing reports by the health authorities.

Condemning the incident, WFP noted that the victims “were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation”.

A great tragedy

Speaking later on Monday in a briefing to journalists in New York, WFP’s director of emergencies Ross Smith called the incident “one of the greatest tragedies we’ve seen for our operations in Gaza and elsewhere while we’re trying to work.”

The UN agency said furthermore that the violence had happened “despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve; including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes.”

Without such fundamental guarantees, it will not be possible to continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza Strip, WPF said, its reaction coming a day after a reported 36 people seeking aid were reportedly killed close to a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub run by the Israeli and US in the south of the Strip. 

Deir Al-Balah evacuation shock

In central Gaza’s Deir Al-Balah, meanwhile, 50,000 to 80,000 people have been impacted by a mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military – the first since war erupted on 7 October 2023.

“The new order cuts through Deir Al-Balah all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, further splintering the Strip,” OCHA said. “It will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, choking humanitarian access when it is needed most.”

UN staff remain in Deir Al-Balah across “dozens of premises” whose coordinates have been shared with the warring parties. “These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of displacement orders,” OCHA insisted, as  Israeli tanks reportedly moved into southern and eastern areas of the city.

According to reports, this may be where some of the remaining hostages seized in Hamas-led terror attacks on 7 October 2023 in Israel may still be held.

Gaza cut in two

The latest evacuation order means that almost 88 per cent of Gaza is impacted by displacement orders or falls within Israeli-militarized zones. Some 2.1 million civilians who have been uprooted multiple times are now squeezed into the little remaining space, where essential services have collapsed.

“There’s nowhere for [Gazans] to escape. They are trapped,” said UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer Louise Wateridge. “They cannot leave the Gaza Strip. They’re trying to keep their children alive. They’re trying to keep themselves alive.”

In comments to UN News, the veteran humanitarian explained that no food is available and only very limited water, explaining why so many desperate Gazans risk their lives to fetch aid from the few distribution centres and arrival points still operational.

“Children are malnourished, they’re dehydrated, they are dying in front of their [parents’] eyes,” Ms. Wateridge continued. “The bombs and the strikes are continuing; there’s no way to run, there’s nowhere to hide. There’s no way to escape there.”