UN official I cried as I listened to the suffering of those besieged in Gaza

A senior UN official described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank as “unacceptable” and “catastrophic,” warning that continued restrictions on the entry of essential materials needed for infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction, coupled with the deteriorating economic situation and escalating settler attacks, are exacerbating the suffering of Palestinians and undermining the prospects for a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.

In a closed briefing to a limited number of journalists, the senior official, who requested anonymity, said that the main challenge in Gaza is not limited to providing food, but also includes the collapse of water, sanitation, and hygiene systems, the lack of adequate shelter, and the resulting health and environmental conditions that threaten the population. He explained that many families are still living in inadequate and ill-equipped tents, lacking basic necessities. He noted that sewage networks and treatment plants have been destroyed or rendered inoperable, while there are no piped networks capable of providing a regular water supply.

He added that water reaches residents via tankers or other means, and is then transported by people in containers, which increases the risk of contamination. The fact that families are forced to dig makeshift pits for sanitation near their shelters, in the absence of sewage systems, exacerbates the risk of disease outbreaks and contamination. He also noted that the living conditions inside the tents, coupled with the lack of basic necessities, make storing and protecting food from contamination extremely difficult.

In response to a question about whether conditions in Gaza had become more like a large prison camp, given Israel’s control over the land, airspace, and livelihoods, the continued civilian casualties, and the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, the source said that what is happening on the ground is “unacceptable” and that the humanitarian situation is