Save the Children’s country director in the occupied Palestinian territory has issued an appeal for a ceasefire following the collapse of a one-week truce between the Israeli government and Hamas.
“World leaders must secure a ceasefire now. Every hour without one, more children will pay the price for broken politics with their lives and futures. There will be no safe place in Gaza until then,” said Jason Lee.
Lee pleaded to stop the massive Israeli military offensive, which is now focused on the south of the Gaza Strip and has left the entire population in Gaza in a vulnerable state.
“I’m in the south of Gaza where children and their families are scrambling for safety. But there is nowhere safe in Gaza. There is nowhere to go,” he said.
Ground military operations in Khan Younis, a city in the south of Gaza, intensify the crisis. Initially designated as a safe relocation area, it is now also under attack.
In northern Gaza, hundreds of thousands of families remain stranded and unsafe, facing the risk of starvation, disease, injury, and death.
Critical infrastructure and services, such as hospitals and sanitation, have been decimated, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
“Families are being warned by Israeli authorities to move, once again, forcibly displacing them into smaller and smaller areas with no guarantee of safety or return, and without the necessary infrastructure and access to services to support life,” he said.
Gaza residents endure continuous Israeli bombardment as the military offensive persists in the southern part of the enclave.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres has invoked the seldom-used Article 99, compelling the Security Council to address the war in Gaza, cautioning of an escalating “catastrophe.”
The al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City is operating at full capacity, with a Health Ministry spokesman issuing a warning as the health system grapples to manage the increasing influx of wounded individuals.
The toll on Gaza has been severe, with at least 16,248 Palestinians reported killed since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at approximately 1,200.
The significant disparity in casualties underscores the asymmetry of the conflict, heightening concerns about the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for international intervention.
