The ongoing stranglehold on aid reaching Gaza threatens an “apocalyptic” outcome, according to UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.
Speaking on Sunday, Griffiths warned of an imminent famine in the besieged territory if the current situation persists.
His stark warning highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
“If fuel runs out, aid doesn’t get to the people where they need it, that famine, which we have talked about for so long, and which is looming, will not be looming anymore. It will be present,” Griffiths emphasized.
He expressed deep concern over the catastrophic consequences that could result if aid continues to be impeded.
Griffiths, who is the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, spoke on the sidelines of meetings with Qatari officials in Doha.
He painted a grim picture of the situation, describing it as “hard, difficult, and apocalyptic.”
His comments came as an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah exacerbated an already critical humanitarian crisis.
The reopening of the Erez crossing has allowed some aid to reach the hardest-hit northern regions of Gaza, with about 50 trucks of aid per day.
However, battles near the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings in the south have effectively blocked these vital routes.
“So aid getting in through land routes to the south and for Rafah, and the people dislodged by Rafah is almost nil,” Griffiths explained.
The UN reported that 800,000 people have been “forced to flee” Israel’s assault on Rafah, with food, fuel, and medicine running out.
Griffiths described the military action in Rafah as “exactly what we feared it would be,” calling it a humanitarian disaster.
While a temporary floating pier constructed by the United States has begun to bring in some truckloads of aid, Griffiths cautioned that this maritime operation “is not a replacement for the land routes.”
The war, which began after an unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has led to significant casualties and displacement, intensifying the call for a resolution based on the two-state solution.
