Israel-Hamas war: Why the UN may stop all aid operations in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as Israel keeps up its barrage of attacks on the densely-populated region in its war against Hamas. And it seems the worse is yet to come, as a United Nations agency said that it may be forced to stop all aid operations, owing to the dire shortage of fuel. “If we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip,” said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which currently provides aid to 600,000 displaced Gazans. The UN agency has also called for a humanitarian “pause” in fighting, 18 days after Israel has pounded the region to near devastation. Fuel, a precious commodity On Tuesday, the UNRWA’s director of communications Juliette Touma was quoted as saying, “If we do not get fuel that will allow us to continue delivering humanitarian assistance, we will not be able to continue to assist people in need beyond Wednesday night.” The densely-populated region , also known as the world’s largest open air prison, is struggling with the lack of fuel supplies. Also read: It’s Getting Grimmer in Gaza: How many days of water, food, power left? Hospitals are on the verge of shutting down, with the medical staff complaining that patients being brought in will die if fuel is not provided. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza warned that electric generators in hospitals will cease functioning within the next 48 hours due to a fuel shortage, worsening the crisis there. “The healthcare system has reached its worst stage in its history,” said ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra in a brief statement on Telegram. Already, 32 health centres in the region have closed their doors after Israel cut off supplies and carries out its bombing campaign in an attempt to wipe out Hamas. Some videos on social media show doctors and medical staff at some hospitals admitting patients under the lights of torches. [caption id=“attachment_13295632” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinian doctors treat a prematurely born baby at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip. Among those at risk of dying or suffering medical complications are “1,000 patients dependent on dialysis” and “130 premature babies and other vulnerable patients. AP[/caption] Among those at risk of dying or suffering medical complications are “1,000 patients dependent on dialysis” and “130 premature babies” and other vulnerable patients “who depend on a stable and uninterrupted supply of electricity to stay alive,” the World Health Organisation said in a statement. The lack of fuel is also forcing people to consume dirty or desalinated water, as the pumping station can’t function. Earlier, on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces ruled out any fuel being allowed to enter Gaza, saying Hamas would co-opt it for its operational infrastructure and to continue its rocket attacks. Also read: Gaza is scarred by poverty. But Hamas leaders live a life of luxury in Qatar Israel speaks Israel reacting to the situation has suggested that the United Nations ask Hamas for fuel supplies. Following the UNRWA’s post on X, saying it would run out of fuel on Wednesday, the IDF reposted the message and said that Hamas militants have more than 500,000 litres of fuel in tanks inside besieged Gaza.

“Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the IDF wrote. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan was also quoted as saying, “We know for sure that there’s plenty of fuel in Gaza. Hamas has stored fuel in advance, and is stealing fuel from both civilians and the UN to power its war machine against Israel.” [caption id=“attachment_13295652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinians unload boxes of medicine from a truck arrived at Nasser Medical Complex, as part of the aid batch that entered in to the Gaza strip from Rafah crossing in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. AP[/caption] Israel’s anger with UN Amid the war, Israel is now in a diplomatic row with the UN after its chief Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that the attack by Hamas on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum”. At a high-level session of the Security Council, Guterres said, “I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law.” Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks “did not happen in a vacuum” as the Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”. The comments irked Israel which asked Guterres to resign . Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who was present at the meet, countered: “Mr Secretary-General, in what world do you live?” The situation has further worsened with Israel announcing that it would deny visas to UN officials . Gilad Erdan said, “Due to his (Guterres’) remarks, we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson.” With inputs from AFP, Reuters