Israel's war on Gaza defies 'decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law,' says UN official
Jonathan Whittall, the top U.N. aid coordination official for Gaza, painted a disturbing picture of the situation since the recent ceasefire deal collapsed, stating that Israel is now conducting a war “without limits.”
- Middle East
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 08:24 | 02 April 2025
- Modified Date: 08:36 | 02 April 2025
A senior UN official denounced Israel's war on Gaza on Wednesday, calling it "a war without limits" as humanitarian workers continue to be targeted.
Citing the Israeli killing of 15 humanitarian workers whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the Gaza Strip, Jonathan Whittall, senior humanitarian affairs officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a virtual news conference that: "They were killed while trying to save lives."
"I'm starting with this particular case because I think it's very emblematic of the point that we've reached in Gaza. What is happening here is defying -- it defies decency, it defies humanity, it defies the law. It really is a war without limits," he said.
Emphasizing the dire situation, he said that "as of today, 64% of Gaza is under active forced displacement orders or falls within the so-called buffer zone."
He warned that "nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza" as victims are bombed while seeking food and humanitarian warehouses are destroyed.
He dismissed Israel's claims that Gaza has enough food. "Supplies were literally drip-fed" into the enclave, said Whittall.
"There are no humanitarian solutions to the crisis," he stressed, as he demanded political action and accountability.
Despite the devastation, he noted that Palestinians still hold onto hope.
"Hope dies last in Gaza," he said, urging nations to enforce international law and push for a ceasefire.