GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Jonathan Whittall, Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has warned that the situation in Gaza has reached the stage of a “slow-motion massacre.”
He emphasized that “civilians are being killed daily simply for trying to access food, in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.”
In a press briefing held from Gaza on Sunday, Whittall said: “While the world turns its attention elsewhere, people in Gaza are being killed just for trying to survive. Merely attempting to get food has become a death sentence.”
He noted that over 400 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food since a partial easing of the blockade more than a month ago.
“I visited some of the wounded in Nasser Hospital over the past few days,” he said, “where overcrowding and a severe lack of resources are overwhelming medical staff.”
Whittall reported that Israeli forces opened fire on crowds gathered near joint American-Israeli aid distribution sites, which are often located in militarized areas.
“Many of the victims were killed in places where ambulances could not reach them,” he added, with reports of missing individuals likely killed but unaccounted for.
In one incident a few days ago, an Israeli tank opened fire on civilians waiting for aid trucks, killing around 60 people and injuring hundreds, according to Whittall.
He also noted that some injuries were inflicted by armed gangs operating near Israeli military positions, confirming that aid seekers have repeatedly been targeted.
Health and water infrastructure in collapse
Regarding Gaza’s healthcare system, Whittall described it as being in near-total collapse.
“Even the few hospitals still partially operating are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and frequently targeted by airstrikes and evacuation orders.”
Hospitals are running critically low on fuel, which is being strictly rationed. He warned that continued blockade will lead to many more preventable deaths.
The water crisis is equally dire. “Wells have run out of fuel or are located in inaccessible areas. Damaged pipelines are causing the loss of the few remaining water supplies,” he said.
“Children are queuing for hours for water trucks that often never arrive.”
Famine and malnutrition on the rise
Whittall stated that famine indicators are rising across Gaza, saying “UNICEF data shows that more than 110 children are being admitted to hospitals every day for treatment of severe malnutrition since the start of the year.”
The small amount of food that does enter the Strip is often looted from aid trucks by desperate crowds, or seized by criminal gangs.
Hunger as a weapon—and the erasure of life in Gaza
“Hunger is being used as a weapon,” Whittall declared. “What we are witnessing in Gaza is forced displacement and systematic slow killing of people who are simply trying to survive.”
He stressed: “Everything I’ve described is entirely preventable. Yet, what we are seeing is a deliberate intent to erase Palestinian life from Gaza.”
Israel, as the occupying power, has clear legal obligations under international law.
“But the reality on the ground shows a complete failure to fulfill those responsibilities,” he said, calling for full accountability for the crimes being committed.
Call for ceasefire and international pressure
In his closing remarks, Whittall urged the international community to impose tangible political and economic pressure on Israel to stop the catastrophe.
He stressed the need for a permanent ceasefire in line with the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“From the heart of Gaza today, I can say without any doubt that current efforts are not enough,” he concluded.
“Palestinian life is being systematically dismantled before the world’s eyes.”
Since October 7, 2023, and with full US backing, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, killing and wounding over 187,000 Palestinians, the majority of them children and women, with more than 11,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.
