The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Abu Shawesh,
says the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening.
Shawesh made this known in a statement in Abuja.
He quoted Josep Borrell Fontelles, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs as saying Gaza was “before the war the greatest open-air prison, today is the greatest open-air graveyard.
“A graveyard for tens of thousands of people and also graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law.”
He also quoted Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders as saying, “Palestinians in Gaza, children, women, men remain stuck in a non-stop nightmare.
Communities obliterated. Homes “demolished.
“Entire families and generations wiped out, with hunger and starvation stalking the population.
“It is monstrous that after so much suffering over so many months, Palestinians in Gaza are marking Ramadan with Israeli bombs still falling, bullets still flying, artillery still pounding, and humanitarian assistance still facing obstacle upon obstacle.”
He further quoted UN Secretary General, António Guterres as saying, “the strict occupation measures in Jerusalem before the start of the Palm Sunday procession prevented thousands of Christians from the West Bank from arriving in the Holy City on this occasion.
“According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health as of Sunday, March 24, approximately 32,200 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces.”
The ambassador further said, “the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) targeted Al-Shifa hospital, resulting in injuries and fatalities among patients, medical staff, and internally displaced persons seeking shelter there.
“At least 27 civilians, including 23 children and elderly individuals, died due to dehydration and malnutrition at Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza.
“As of 20 March, up to 1.7 million Palestinians (over 75 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, the majority multiple times.”
He further said “Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety.
“Following intense Israeli bombardments and fighting in Khan Younis and the Middle Area in recent weeks, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
“Malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery.
“4.5 per cent of the children in shelters and health centers suffer from severe wasting.
“The most life-threatening form of malnutrition, which puts children at highest risk of medical complications and death unless they receive urgent therapeutic feeding and treatment, which is not available.
The envoy also said that the prevalence of acute malnutrition among children under 5 years of age in the North had “increased from 13% to as high as 25%.
“On Friday, March 22, the USA presented a resolution before the Security Council, which did not pass due to a veto.”