Monday, 25 May 2026
Source: AFP
UNRWA chief: Gaza aid workers collapsing from hunger and exhaustion
GENEVA – The leader of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees revealed on Tuesday that staff members, along with doctors and humanitarian workers, are collapsing while on duty in Gaza, suffering from severe hunger and exhaustion, according to Reuters.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), dozens of urgent messages have poured in from employees describing dire conditions and debilitating fatigue within the enclave, where Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has raged since October 2023.
“No one is immune: those caring for others in Gaza now need care themselves. Doctors, nurses, journalists, and aid workers are all hungry,” stated UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, in remarks delivered via his spokesperson at a Geneva press briefing.
“Many are now fainting from hunger and exhaustion as they try to do their jobs—whether they are documenting atrocities or easing some of the immense suffering,” Lazzarini continued.
He also condemned a US-supported humanitarian aid distribution initiative managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operations in late May after Israel, controlling entry points into Gaza, ended an 11-week blockade.
“The so-called ‘GHF’ distribution scheme is a cruel death trap. Snipers shoot indiscriminately into crowds, as if they’ve been granted a license to kill,” Lazzarini charged.
The GHF works primarily through private US security and logistics firms and largely circumvents a UN-led aid system that Israel has accused of allowing Hamas to confiscate supplies intended for civilians—an allegation that Hamas denies.
UNRWA estimates indicate that over 1,000 people have been killed attempting to receive food aid since late May, Lazzarini reported.
On July 15, the United Nations stated it had verified at least 875 fatalities in the previous six weeks at GHF-managed aid centers in Gaza and during convoys organized by other relief agencies. The majority of those deaths occurred near GHF locations, with the remaining 201 victims killed along the routes of other aid convoys.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church’s highest figure in the Holy Land labeled Gaza’s humanitarian crisis as “morally unacceptable” after a recent visit to the war-ravaged area.
“We witnessed men waiting for hours under the scorching sun, hoping for just a basic meal,” said Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa during a press conference. “It’s morally unacceptable and unjustifiable,” he asserted.
The World Health Organization reported that Israeli forces struck both its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, disrupting its operations in Gaza.
The UN agency detailed that the WHO staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes sparking a fire, causing extensive destruction, and endangering employees and their families, including children.
On Monday, Israeli tanks advanced into the southern and eastern sectors of Deir Al-Balah for the first time, targeting a region where Israeli authorities suspect hostages might be held. Shelling in the area struck homes and mosques, killing at least three people and wounding others, according to local medics.
“Israeli forces entered the facility, forcing women and children to flee on foot to Al-Mawasi amid ongoing violence. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on site, and searched at gunpoint,” the WHO reported.
Two WHO staff members and two of their relatives were detained, the agency said on X, noting that three were later released while one staff member remained in custody.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 59,000 Palestinians, nearly the entire population has been displaced, and the region faces a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, according to health officials.