UN chief alarmed by Israeli plans to expand Gaza ground offensive

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza, his deputy spokesperson said on Monday.

“This will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza,” Farhan Aziz Haq, the deputy spokesperson, said, responding to a journalist’s question during the regular media briefing in New York.

“What’s imperative now is an end to the violence, not more civilian deaths and destruction. Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian State.”

The alert comes as the UN humanitarian team and other NGOs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Sunday condemned Israeli efforts to replace the aid delivery system with one where supplies would reportedly be funnelled through military hubs in the south.

This proposal would leave “large parts of Gaza…less mobile and (the) most vulnerable” without lifesaving supplies, aid chiefs insisted.

The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages in Gaza, said Mr. Haq.

Meanwhile, airstrikes and other attacks continue across the Strip, where Israel has blocked the entry of aid and commercial supplies for more than two months.

Reports indicate that scores of people were killed and hundreds injured over the weekend, including children, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Monday.

OCHA noted that robbery and looting have become a daily reality in the Strip, especially in and around Gaza City, which is occurring in parallel with the depletion of supplies.

Businesses are being targeted, and there have also been attempts against UN warehouses. In most cases the looters were stopped by guards, or the warehouses were already empty.

Last week, OCHA reported that water pumping and sanitation systems in Beit Lahiya had gone down because fuel had run out. Services are still not back due to continuing shortages.

Furthermore, a major water line from Israel was damaged on Friday, cutting water supply to northern Gaza – including Gaza City – by half. Teams were only able to fix the problem on Sunday as the repair work required coordination with the Israeli authorities.

Also on Sunday, a UN team managed to retrieve some fuel from a station in Gaza City after the Israeli authorities facilitated their efforts to reach it. However, many reserves remain out of reach due to denial of access.

OCHA noted that in Rafah in southern Gaza, not a single attempt to retrieve fuel has been facilitated since 18 April.

The agency also reported that since Saturday, 19 out of 27 planned humanitarian movements within Gaza were denied outright. Other attempts were initially given the go-ahead – but then impeded by forces on the ground.