UN runs out of tents for people in Gaza on 50th day of total Israeli blockade
The spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that today marks 50 days of Israel’s blockade on any aid into Gaza, and that the UN has run out of tents to house displaced Palestinians as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.
“The [UN] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that since early March, not a single truck carrying food, fuel, medicine or any other essentials have been allowed in, no matter how critical they are for people’s survival,” Stephane Dujarric told a news conference.
“Over the past 50 days, food stocks have run dangerously low. Rations have been cut. Critical medicines, vaccines and medical supplies are all running low. Ambulances have had to scale back life-saving services because there’s almost no fuel to power these ambulances. Cooking gas has disappeared from markets.
“Bakeries have been forced to shut down, and we… along with our humanitarian partners, have run out of tents to deliver to people who need them.”
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli attack on a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City
Before he died, Pope Francis called for peace in Gaza. Will anyone listen?
Pope Francis died today at the age of 88 following a prolonged illness.
Just yesterday, in his Easter Sunday address at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church chose to express his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people”.
He went on to state that he was “think[ing] of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation” – a toned-down reference, of course, to Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which has officially killed more than 51,200 Palestinians since October 2023.
Overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza kill four
At least two people have been killed by overnight Israeli fire in the north of Rafah, southern Gaza, and the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, our correspondent on the ground reported.
The Al-Aqsa TV news outlet also reported that two people were killed as a result of Israeli air strikes on the Bakr family home west of Gaza City.
At the same time, an Israeli drone attack on a tent housing displaced people in the al-Katiba neighbourhood of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, injured several people, including women and children.
