From the Liveblog of
Saturday, October 21, 2023
UN agencies say first aid convoy ‘far from enough’
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United Nations aid agencies say a first 20-truck convoy of assistance that reached Gaza Saturday is “only a small beginning and far from enough.”
The agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and others, say in a joint statement that more than 1.6 million people are in critical need of humanitarian aid.
“Vulnerable people are at greatest risk and children are dying at an alarming rate and being denied their right to protection, food, water and health care,” they say.
The agencies, which also include the UN Population Fund and UNICEF, call for a humanitarian ceasefire, along with immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access throughout Gaza.
“Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities. It is now catastrophic. The world must do more,” they say.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders says Gaza’s health care system is “facing collapse.”
The global medical group says hospitals in Gaza are “overwhelmed and lacking resources.”
“We recently made a large donation of medical stock, including medicines, narcotics and medical equipment to Al Shifa hospital, the main surgical facility in the strip,” the group, known by its French acronym MSF, writes on the X platform.
The Times of Israel Community.