As civilian suffering intensifies in war-ravaged Gaza, senior UN officials on Tuesday called once more for an immediate ceasefire and conditions which would allow full humanitarian access, following Saturday's deadly Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter.
More than 100 people were reportedly killed in the attack on the al-Taba'een school in Gaza City, which took place during morning prayer hours. It was one of at least 21 strikes on school shelters recorded since 4 July.
"It pointed once again to the desperate need to reach a ceasefire, free the hostages and scale up humanitarian aid," Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told ambassadors in the Security Council.
The attack was also "far from an isolated incident", Lisa Doughten, Director of Partnerships at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), added.
"These large-scale incidents are, sadly, only some of the myriad ways in which this horrendous conflict is causing unbearable suffering and devastation," Ms. Doughten said.
Safe spaces shrink
In her briefing, Ms. DiCarlo noted that as hostilities continue across the Strip, the situation remains catastrophic.
"No place is safe in Gaza, yet civilians continue to be ordered to evacuate to ever shrinking areas," she said.
► Watch Ms. DiCarlo's briefing
She also highlighted escalating regional tensions, especially along the Blue Line that separates Israeli and Lebanese armed forces.
Since 31 July, numerous projectiles have been fired from Lebanon across the Blue Line frontier, causing damage to buildings and bushfires in open areas, while the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have responded with strikes into southern Lebanon.
In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the situation is worsening, amid IDF airstrikes and ground operations which have led to Palestinian deaths, as well as attacks by Palestinian armed groups on Israelis.
De-escalate now
"If the slide towards an even greater catastrophe is to be halted, the parties must end all escalatory rhetoric and actions," Ms. DiCarlo stressed.
Commending Egypt, Qatar, and the United States for their mediation efforts, she reiterated the urgency of achieving a ceasefire, securing the release of hostages, and delivering critical humanitarian aid.
There is "no further time to waste," she stressed.
Unbearable suffering
Ms. Doughten emphasized that recent attacks and strikes against schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza had gathered pace.
► Watch Ms. Doughten's briefing
Nearly 40,000 Palestinian have been killed since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October sparked the war, with more than 90,000 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. A further 10,000 people are still missing, believed to be trapped under rubble.
As of August 9, 115 hostages remain captive, including some declared dead and whose remains are still in Gaza.
Furthermore, Gaza's healthcare system is near collapse, with widespread destruction and mass displacement worsening the humanitarian crisis. As civilians are forced into makeshift shelters that are overcrowded and unsafe with few essential resources.
Aid efforts 'doggedly continue'
She highlighted that in the midst of the devastation, the humanitarian community doggedly continues efforts to mount an effective response, doing what they can to increase food assistance, provide education, boost medical capacities, and deliver vaccines.
"However, as things stand, access constraints and high levels of insecurity severely hamper the humanitarian response," she added, enumerating challenges ranging from severe insecurity to limits on aid imposed by Israeli authorities.
Ms. Doughten reiterated that humanitarian demands "so often repeated, remain the same."
These include an immediate end to hostilities and sustained ceasefire; strict adherence to international humanitarian law by all sides, the release of all hostages, protection of civilians, and ensuring unhindered aid throughout Gaza - including through UNRWA, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees.
"Finally, as we have said before in this context, all Member States must use all their leverage to prevent and stop violations of international humanitarian law, including through diplomatic and economic pressure, and conditioning arms exports on compliance with the rules of war, and cooperation in combating impunity."
