The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday (16/4) announced it would launch a global appeal to raise $2.8 billion in aid for the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the two million survivors of the Israeli genocide in Gaza are struggling to live every day.
However, little aid can be brought to the enclave whose residents have long lived under an Israeli blockade.
“The reality is that there is very little aid that we can bring to Gaza to address displacement and hunger,” De Domenico said.
De Domenico said a global appeal for relief funds will be launched on Wednesday. The appeal is “to support three million identified people in the West Bank and Gaza.”
As much as 90 percent of the aid will go to Gaza and the UN initially planned to ask for $4 billion but reduced it due to limited aid distribution capabilities.
Hunger in Gaza, he said, is caused by the absence of food, hygiene, water, and health facilities.
“Uncertainty is a daily reality for people in Gaza,” he said.
He further said that families coming to southern Gaza have evacuated seven times and two days ago his team saw thousands of people queuing to the north.
Regarding rumors that Israeli forces have allowed or will allow people to return to the North, he confirmed that some residents did receive phone calls intended to suggest that they could return.
“Then when thousands of people showed up, the Israeli military immediately shot at the location because they were quite surprised by the numbers,” he continued.
Not only that, the UN also assesses that Israel is carrying out a combination of strategies to avoid the narrative of “we are blocking aid.”
Even Israel repeatedly played the “blame game” and added “We accept it. We continue to be in contact with them and our goal is to resolve this issue and provide (aid).”