Speaking to correspondents via video link on Thursday, the senior OCHA official underscored the grim reality facing over two million people trapped in Gaza, where basic necessities like food, shelter, and safety have become scarce.
“Dying hungry and in pain” is an increasingly likely outcome for children, mothers, aid workers, and teachers alike, he said.
“We’re there to support [the people] who for more than 14 months have struggled to stay alive,” Mr. Petropoulos explained. “But we’re not allowed to do our jobs,” he emphasised.
Humanitarian operations under siege
OCHA has been striving to deliver food, healthcare, and safe drinking water to Gaza’s besieged population, but fuel shortages and blocked access routes have exacerbated the crisis.
When we raise these things with Israeli authorities, they reject virtually every single practical solution that we table
Moreover, these efforts have been opposed by what Mr. Petropoulos referred to as “blanket prohibitions” from Israeli authorities.
“When we raise these things with Israeli authorities, they reject virtually every single practical solution that we table,” Mr. Petropoulos said, adding that “the aid system has been weaponised.”
He further revealed that aid delivery often becomes a race against time, with insufficient supplies to meet the growing needs of the population.
“As an aid worker in Gaza, you’re forced to make horrible decisions,” he described. “Should I let people die of starvation or of the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for some shelter from the rain at night?”, he illustrated.
North Gaza: Mass displacement and destruction
North Gaza, under near-total siege for 75 days, has become a site of intensified military operations.
Mr. Petropoulos described chilling reports of mass casualties, the destruction of entire communities, and forced displacements under bombardment.
“The Israeli corridor bisecting the strip, has been fortified to such a degree that it’s not really a corridor anymore,” he said, noting that 150 requests for humanitarian access have been denied since October.
Even when supplies manage to reach shelters or hospitals, they are often destroyed in subsequent attacks.
A call on Member States
Mr. Petropoulos called on Member States to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians.
He emphasised the need for a ceasefire and immediate, complete humanitarian access.
“We need to get to people wherever they are,” he said. “We need to prove the impact of this response based on how people are doing and not the numbers of trucks,” he added.
The UN has consistently warned of the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging all parties to respect the principles of international humanitarian law and facilitate aid delivery to those in need.
As the crisis intensifies, the UN’s humanitarian system in Gaza faces its greatest test yet, operating “hand to mouth” with little reserves left.