Martin Griffiths, the head of UN relief operations in Gaza, painted a dire picture of conditions in the Strip, saying his colleagues had witnessed “scenes of absolute horror”.
“There is a body left on the street. People with obvious signs of starvation stopped their trucks to scavenge for whatever they could to survive.” Griffith, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told UN Security Council members on Friday.
Griffith said many people no longer have a home to return to, and shelters in isolated areas are housing far more people than they can handle.
He added that food and water are running out and the risk of famine is growing by the day.
He said the health system was in a “state of collapse” with women unable to give birth safely, children unable to get vaccinated, infectious diseases on the rise and people seeking refuge in hospital yards.
In his scathing criticism, Griffiths said his team's efforts to send a humanitarian convoy north had been delayed and rejected in impossible conditions, putting the safety of aid workers at risk.
“Evacuation orders are constantly being issued. As ground operations moved south, aerial bombardment intensified in areas where civilians had been told to relocate for safety,” Griffith said of Israel’s evacuation policy.
“There is no safe place in Gaza. “It is almost impossible for human beings to live with dignity,” he said.
But the UN humanitarian chief also urged people not to forget “the brutal attacks against Israel by Hamas and other armed groups on October 7, which left 1,200 people dead, thousands injured, hundreds more dead, and an abhorrent record of sexual violence.” I urged him not to.
“What we have seen since October 7 is a stain on our collective conscience. If we do not act, it will leave an indelible mark on our humanity,” Griffith said.
Read more: Bodies on the streets in Gaza, a scene of 'utter horror'