UNRWA says Gaza is becoming increasingly uninhabitable — The Japan Times

In the Gaza Strip in Palestine, conditions for the population are becoming increasingly uninhabitable due to Israel’s large-scale military operations, said Akihiro Seita, head of the health department at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The Japan Times reported this following his online interview.

Shortages of medicines and diseases

According to Seita, Gaza continues to face a shortage of medical supplies due to restrictions on their delivery. Sanitary conditions also remain extremely difficult, while skin and other infectious diseases are spreading among the population. He said that residents’ living environment has been destroyed.

Seita noted that some residents received food rations after the ceasefire agreement. At the same time, low-income residents continue to lack food, and malnutrition remains a problem. According to a follow-up UNRWA study, some infants who suffered malnutrition during the famine in Gaza City in August last year were found to have delays in speech and walking development.

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Most residents live in tents

Large-scale operations by the Israeli army in Gaza, according to the publication, began in October 2023 and resulted in the deaths of more than 74,000 people. Reconstruction of the Palestinian territory is proceeding slowly, as Israeli troops, according to the source, continue attacks and occupy a significant part of the territory even after the ceasefire agreement.

As the publication notes, the Israeli military probably controls about 70% of Gaza’s territory. About 2 million of its residents have been forced to live in the remaining 30% of the territory, mostly in tents. Seita also expressed concern that the international community’s attention had shifted from Gaza to U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran, which began at the end of February this year.

The United States has suspended funding for UNRWA, and the agency is not included in the framework of the Gaza peace plan prepared at the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite this, UNRWA continues to provide assistance to Gaza’s population.