OCHA Expresses Concern at Ongoing Military Repercussions in Gaza Strip

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed its deep concern about the repercussions of the ongoing military hostilities in the Gaza Strip on the first anniversary of the crisis. OCHA added that the humanitarian conditions in Gaza are in extreme deterioration, while the population is deprived of health care, food, electricity, and humanitarian aid. It noted that children have missed out on an entire year of education. 'In the West Bank, the use of lethal force by the Israeli forces, along with rampant settler violence and house demolitions, have led to a sharp rise in fatalities, widespread destruction, and forced displacement,' it added. Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement that "the Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be released and humanitarian workers must be safeguarded, and their work facilitated." She called for respecting international humanitarian law, sayi ng that 'perpetrators must be held accountable for any serious violations' and that 'the assault on Gaza must stop.' Source: Saudi Press Agency