BY Iftikhar Ali
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 18 (APP): United Nations officials described conditions in Gaza as “hell on earth” following deadly Israeli air strikes across the besieged enclave on Tuesday that killed more than 400 Palestinians, including children and women, as the UN Security Council met in an emergency session to discuss the tragic situation.
International condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war mounted as its latest slaughter in Gaza broke a period of relative quiet during the holy month of Ramadan and increased fears that the 17-month conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and left the Strip in ruins, would resume.
The strikes were reported to have hit targets in northern Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. They followed two weeks of Israeli blockade of the crossings into Gaza that cutoff humanitarian aid supplies, piling on the the misery of already starving Palestinians.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “shocked” by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which have resulted in significant civilian casualties, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.
In a statement, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq urged all parties to respect the ceasefire, restore unimpeded humanitarian assistance, and unconditionally release the remaining hostages.
Meanwhile, Muhannad Hadi, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, condemned the latest wave of airstrikes, stating that unconfirmed reports indicate hundreds have been killed.
“This is unconscionable,” Hadi said, calling for the immediate reinstatement of a ceasefire. He stressed that an end to hostilities, sustained humanitarian aid, the release of hostages, and the restoration of basic services are essential for Gaza’s future.
The scale of the horror is “unimaginable”, according to one volunteer with Medical Aid for Palestinians based at Nasser Hospital. Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan said she had personally treated at least five patients who died in the emergency room.
“The ER was just chaos, patients everywhere, on the floor,” she said. “There were probably three men, and the rest were all children, women, and the elderly—everybody caught in their sleep, still wrapped in blankets.
In a post on social media X, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinians, described “awful scenes of civilians killed among them children” following waves of heavy Israeli bombardment.
“Fueling ‘hell on earth’ by resuming the war will only bring more despair & suffering,” he said, adding, “A return to the ceasefire is a must.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed horror at the latest Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza.
“This will add tragedy onto tragedy,” Turk said, stressing that the past 18 months of violence have shown there is no military solution to the crisis.
He urged Israel to halt its military operations, stating that continued force will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians already facing catastrophic conditions.
Turk called for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained individuals, emphasising that the war must end permanently. He urged all parties with influence to push for peace and prevent further civilian suffering.
“This nightmare must end immediately.”
Briefing the UN Security Council, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher started off with a warning that last night “our worst fears materialized”.
“Airstrikes resumed across the entire Gaza Strip [with] unconfirmed reports of hundreds of people killed,” he said.
“New evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces and once again, the people of Gaza living in abject fear. Modest gains made during the ceasefire are being destroyed.”
Fletcher also raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in the West Bank, calling for urgent international attention.
“Since the start of this year, 95 Palestinians have been killed, including 17 children, and 869 injured, including 179 children” he said.
The Israeli military has renewed wide-scale operations in the northern West Bank, deploying tanks for the first time in two decades, displacing 40,000 Palestinians and destroying civilian infrastructure.
Palestinian communities in Area C continue to face pressure from settlement expansion, settler violence and home demolitions, while hundreds of Israeli settlers have launched attacks on Palestinian villages, burning homes and destroying property. Roadblocks and checkpoint closures continue to disrupt Palestinian’s access to essential services.
Fletcher outlined three urgent actions: unimpeded humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to Gaza, a renewed ceasefire to halt the violence and increased funding for the humanitarian response.
“Blocking food, water, and medicine is unconscionable,” he stressed, recalling a message he saw scrawled on a hospital whiteboard in Gaza, written by a doctor who was later killed: “Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.”
APP/ift