Olga Cherefko, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Gaza Strip, revealed a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the besieged Strip, describing it as “becoming more catastrophic” with the ongoing bombing and closure of crossings.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Cherefko said: “We have had a very difficult week since the escalation of attacks began, and it has not stopped since the second of this month. We hear the sounds of explosions throughout Gaza, and hundreds are being killed and hundreds more injured. This, of course, has a horrific impact on civilians.”
The UN spokesperson stressed that the prolonged closure of crossings disrupts humanitarian operations and directly impacts people’s lives, explaining that “people are trying to rebuild their lives after 15 months of hardship, suffering, and bombardment. Many of them are trying to return to their homes, only to find them in ruins.”
She added, “We distributed the materials and resources we received during the ceasefire to improve health and shelter conditions, but all these successes are now being undone because we don’t have enough resources.” Regarding the situation in the markets, Cherefko explained, “The shelves are empty. There are no vegetables or fruits. People are trying to buy these resources to survive, but they are nowhere to be found.”
