- By Mayukh Debnath
- Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Israel-Hamas War: The chiefs of 11 United Nation agencies and 7 humanitarian organisation under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) have jointly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli forces and Hamas militants are currently locked in a bloody battle.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, they termed the killing of 'some 1,400 people' in Israel and abduction of 'more than 200 people' by Hamas militants on October 7 "horrific", adding that "the horrific killings of even more civilians in Gaza is an outrage, as is cutting off 2.2 million Palestinians from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel".
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"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship. This is unacceptable," the IASC said about residents of the Gaza Strip in its statement.
(Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment after Hamas unleashed an onslaught in Israel on October 7. Pic credits: Reuters)
"More aid – food, water, medicine and of course fuel – must enter Gaza safely, swiftly and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are," it added. The UN chiefs and heads of the seven other humanitarian organisations in their joint plea raised concerns over the purported "more than 100 attacks against health care" in Gaza.
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The signatories to the plea also called for the "immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage" by Hamas and other Palestinian militant outfits. The UN agencies whose heads are among the signatories include the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), among others.
The death toll due to Israel's military campaign against Hamas targets has claimed the lives of 9,700 Palestinians so far, according to Hamas authorities of Gaza.
