UN Chief stresses urgency of aid convoy at Rafah crossing
New Delhi, Oct 20: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived at the Rafah crossing on Friday, emphasising the critical need for expedited aid delivery to Gaza. UN humanitarians expressed optimism that an agreement to facilitate aid deliveries into Gaza was on the horizon.
Speaking to reporters at the Egypt-Gaza border, Secretary-General Guterres asserted that a massive convoy carrying food and medicine represented “the difference between life and death for the people.” The UN Country Team in Egypt shared his remarks via Twitter.
In Geneva, Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), conveyed a message on behalf of UN relief chief Martin Griffiths. He stated, “We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation into Gaza commences as swiftly as possible and under the right conditions.” Laerke added that there were encouraging signs of progress toward an agreement on operational details, with the first delivery set to start in the coming days.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, on social media platform X, underscored the UN’s unwavering focus on sustaining humanitarian aid operations for the people of Gaza. The region had endured nearly two weeks without essential supplies, including fuel, food, water, and medicine.
Aid trucks had been waiting at the Rafah border crossing for days. Laerke stressed that while it was crucial to provide aid to all in Gaza, Rafah represented a lifeline and the most direct route to reach those in need.
Furthermore, Laerke emphasized the critical need for fuel in Gaza, given the ongoing electricity blackout, calling it a “life-saving humanitarian commodity.”
As of the update after 14 days of hostilities, OCHA reported that the death toll in the Gaza Strip had risen to 3,785, including over 1,500 children, with more than 12,000 individuals injured. OCHA noted that “hundreds of additional fatalities” were believed to be trapped under the rubble due to relentless bombardments.
Since October 7th, Israeli officials have reported 1,400 people killed and over 4,600 injured in Israel. At least 203 people, including Israelis and foreign nationals, were held captive in Gaza, according to Israeli estimations.
Secretary-General Guterres had called upon Hamas to release these hostages “immediately and unconditionally,” and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) stressed that taking hostages was prohibited by international law.
The OHCHR expressed alarm at the deteriorating human rights situation in the West Bank and the growing use of lethal force, including arbitrary arrests of Palestinians in the West Bank and Arab Israelis in Israel. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, emphasized the importance of respecting international human rights law and international humanitarian law in all hostilities. He stressed that the principles of necessity, distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack must be upheld at all times by all parties involved.
