\n<\/p>\n
UNICEF\u2019s Rosalia Bollen, who\u2019s on the ground there, said that hundreds of children had been killed and injured \u2013 some with severe burns, shrapnel lodged in their bodies, fractures and amputations.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven on 18 March with that very heavy, intense bombing, children still kept hope because they thought maybe it’s a one-off, but it’s not,\u201d she told UN News<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attacks continue, the airstrikes continue, tank shelling, shooting and displacement orders continue\u2026people keep being pushed around with very few belongings.\u201d<\/p>\n The head of the UN\u2019s Palestine refugee relief agency (UNRWA), which is now outlawed by Israel although continuing to operate inside the shattered enclave, said everyone feared the worst is yet to come in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cFor nearly three weeks now, the Israeli authorities continue to ban the entry of any humanitarian aid or basic commercial supplies,\u201d Philippe Lazzarini said in a social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder our daily watch, people in Gaza are again and again going through their worst nightmare. An endless unleashing of the most inhumane ordeals<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Also on Thursday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that\u00a0hundreds of thousands of Gazans\u00a0risk severe hunger and malnutrition as food stocks dwindle and borders remain closed.<\/p>\n WFP\u00a0now has approximately 5,700 tons of food stocks left in\u00a0Gaza, which is enough to support\u00a0operations \u201cfor a maximum of two weeks\u201d, the agency said.<\/p>\n The agency has decided with the deteriorating security situation, rapid displacement of people, and growing needs, to distribute as much food as possible, as quickly as possible in Gaza:<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Food parcels:<\/strong> WFP plans to distribute food parcels to half a million people; the reduced size parcel will feed a family for roughly one week.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bakeries:<\/strong>\u00a0Wheat flour supplies are\u00a0sufficient to support bread production for 800,000 people for five days only. Currently 19 of 25 WFP-supported bakeries remain operational,\u00a0and many struggle with severe crowd control issues as fear of bread shortages spreads throughout the Strip.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hot meals:<\/strong>\u00a0WFP has supplies to support 37 kitchens across Gaza cooking 500,000 hot meals per day for the next two weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Fortified biscuits:<\/strong>\u00a0WFP has emergency stocks of fortified biscuits \u2013 enough\u00a0 for 415,000 people \u2013 which can be used as a last resort if all other food stocks are exhausted.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n WFP and partners have positioned more than 85,000 tons of food commodities outside Gaza, ready to be brought in if border crossings are opened.<\/p>\n \u00a9 UNRWA\/Mohammed Hinnawi<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n UNRWA continues to provide healthcare and medical services in its health centers in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Intensified hostilities continue across the Strip, killing and injuring people and severely constraining the ability of humanitarian workers to provide life-saving support, said UN Spokesperson St\u00e9phane Dujarric, briefing journalists in New York.<\/p>\n Since Israel\u2019s ground operation commenced in Rafah on Sunday, several ambulances belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense \u2013 as well as the Palestine Red Crescent Society \u2013 were hit trying to rescue the wounded and their crews became trapped in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cContact with the teams was lost, but several casualties have been reported<\/strong>,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Yesterday, a UN humanitarian and Red Crescent team attempted to extract any casualties and recover the ambulances, but they were unable to reach the area.<\/p>\n \u201cHealth workers, including first responders, should never be targeted,\u201d Mr. Dujarric said. \u201cCivilians fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be allowed to return voluntarily when the situation allows it.\u201d<\/p>\n More people in Gaza are being forced to flee, and displacement orders now cover 18 per cent of Gaza’s territory again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UN and our partners are responding to people\u2019s deepening needs as the situation allows it, but the complete closure of the crossings for the entry of cargo, which includes humanitarian aid \u2013 coupled with the ongoing hostilities \u2013 is making all of this increasingly challenging,\u201d the UN Spokesperson underscored.<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of\u00a0shelter items are waiting to enter Gaza, and many families forced to flee are unable to bring any of their belongings, further intensifying the shelter crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cDwindling shelter stocks in Gaza are completely insufficient to meet the immense needs,\u201d said Mr. Dujarric.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the health system in Gaza is in freefall.<\/p>\n Health partners report that essential supplies for mass casualty incidents need to be restocked due to the sharp increase in trauma cases and the severity of injuries.<\/p>\n WHO reports there are fewer than 500 units of blood available, when 8,000 are needed every month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u2018Inhumane ordeal\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Clear and present danger<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Waiting at the border<\/h2>\n