The most significant UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza amid daily bombardment, with a spokesperson calling it a "silent killer" of the most vulnerable in the community.
Speaking via video link at the UN Office in Geneva at a news briefing, Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), condemned Israel's humanitarian aid blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"It's almost been two months of a very tight siege. The State of Israel, as I'm sure you're all aware, banned the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, medical and commercial supplies alike, food vaccines for children and fuel included. This has been ongoing since the 2nd of March 2025," she said.
"The siege on Gaza is a silent killer, is a silent killer of children, of older people, of the most vulnerable in the community," she added.
The spokesperson stressed that thousands of trucks carrying relief supplies continue to be denied entry to Gaza.
"Our supplies are stuck outside of Gaza. We have just over 5,000 trucks in several parts of the region with lifesaving supplies that are ready to wait to come in," said Touma.
Destructive attacks on the southern city of Rafah have left it "obliterated", UNRWA said on Tuesday.
Formerly the largest entry point for aid into the enclave via Egypt, aerial videos purportedly of Rafah show buildings leveled as far as the eye can see. Rafah is nothing like the city it used to be. In every direction there is only destruction, the UN agency said.
According to UNRWA, over 90 percent of Rafah has been impacted by forced displacement orders, which have uprooted around 150,000 people.
UNRWA condemns Israel's two-month Gaza blockade as a "silent killer" of vulnerable communities amid Rafah's destruction
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is ready to completely withdraw from the governmental scene in the Gaza Strip and engage in a positive and constructive manner with the second phase of the plan to end the war in the enclave, said Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim on Friday. In a statement, Naim said that the ceasefire deal became an international plan after being adopted by the United Nations Security Council. However, it is now facing obstacles.
He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of reneging on his commitments and escalating the situation, in an attempt to return to war and save his political career. Pointing out that Israeli strikes have caused hundreds of casualties since the announcement of the ceasefire, the Hamas official said the escalation cannot occur without cover or green light from the United States. He said Hamas has committed to all its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, as attested by the mediators and the U.S., adding that it is ready for the second phase of the agreement.
He emphasized the Movement's commitment to the establishment of a fully empowered Palestinian body to administer Gaza, and its complete withdrawal from the governmental scene.
Naim warned that the situation will not be sustainable if the continued escalation of Israeli military operations and the persistence of the catastrophic humanitarian situation remain unaddressed, adding that the circle of fire may expand, which is what Netanyahu aspires to.
Since a ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, 2025, Gaza's death toll has risen to 439 with 1,223 injuries, according to local health authorities on Friday. Rescue teams have recovered 688 bodies during that period. In the broader conflict, at least 71,409 Palestinians have been killed and 171,304 wounded since Israel's military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023.
Hamas ready for complete withdrawal from Gaza governmental scene: official
