The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gaza: Aid insufficient to avert ‘widespread starvation’ as Israeli military ramp-up forces more people to flee
The small trickle of aid entering Gaza is totally insufficient to alleviate starvation and displacement in the Strip, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
“The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva.
“This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid,” he said.
Mr. Al-Kheetan insisted that in the past few weeks, Israeli authorities have only allowed aid to enter in quantities that remain “far below what would be required to avert widespread starvation”.
The UN said on Monday that hunger-related deaths continue to be reported in the Strip, including among children.
As the Israeli army intensified its attacks in the north of the enclave, it has continued to issue displacement orders for Palestinians, Mr. Al-Kheetan said.
He noted that Gazans have been told to move to the Al-Mawasi area, despite continuing airstrikes and disastrous conditions there.
“Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al-Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents,” he warned.
The OHCHR spokesperson stressed that reaching humanitarian aid “can be a deadly pursuit” with latest data indicating that 1,857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food from 27 May, when the US and Israel-backed militarized aid distribution scheme known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started its operations.
Out of that number, he said that 1,021 were killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites and 836 on the routes of supply trucks.
“Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military,” Mr. Al-Kheetan said.
Asked how the situation could get even worse, Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA), said that “it has already gotten worse”, insisting on the devastating effects of the Israeli ban on the entry of shelter materials into the enclave.
While the Israeli authorities recently announced that they would lift the ban on shelter supplies, Mr. Laerke said that “the United Nations and our partners have as of last night not been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement.”
“There's a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance,” he added.
The UN said on Monday that according to partners’ estimations at least 1.35 million people in Gaza need emergency shelter.
Aid agencies have warned that tents being used in Gaza are worn out from prolonged sun exposure and frequent displacement.
Asked about the reasons given for the ban on shelter items, Mr. Laerke explained that in a conflict, some shelter items such as tentpoles can fall under the “dual-use regime” as they could be used for both civilian and military purposes.
“Shelter has been banned entry for about five months and in that period over 700,000 people have been displaced or re-displaced,” he said.
People forced to flee time and again often have to leave behind the tents that they have been provided, Mr. Laerke explained, which creates a challenge for aid workers “trying to respond to people where they are”.
The looming expansion of Israel’s military activities in Gaza City is another major concern for UN humanitarians, as it would again push thousands of people into a severely overcrowded area in the south of the Strip.
Asked about the impact of Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City, OHCHR’s Mr. Al-Kheetan underscored a “huge risk” for civilians.
“There are risks of mass displacement… more killings and more misery that we have already seen in the Gaza Strip,” he warned. “Among those who will be affected are the most vulnerable, people with disabilities, the injured, the children, women”, he concluded.
-Ends -
STORY Gaza aid blockages OHCHR – OCHA 19 August 2025
TRT: 3:06”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 19 AUGUST 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.
2. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “The risk of starvation is everywhere in Gaza. This is a direct result of the Israeli government's policy of blocking humanitarian aid.”
4. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced to Al Mawasi have little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents.”
6. Medium shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “Since 27 May and up until 17 August, we have documented that 1,857 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, including 1,021 killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites and 836 killed on the routes of supply trucks. Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military.”
8. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We don't even need to look ahead of what, how possibly this could get worse. It has already gotten worse. As you know, shelter has been banned entry for about five months and in that period over 700,000 people have been displaced or re-displaced.”
10. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “What very often happens is that they have to leave their tents. They may have been provided with the with a tent and then they're displaced again and they have no possibility of taking a tent with them. So, there are lots of things that are very challenging with these repeat displacements when you are trying to respond to people where they are.”
12. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens.
13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We cannot speak for other actors, but the United Nations and our partners have as of last night not been able to bring in shelter materials following the Israeli announcement. There's a set of impediments that still needs to be addressed, including Israeli customs clearance.”
14. Close shot: Journalist in the Press room.
15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “These plans have a huge risk for people, for civilians. There are risks of mass displacement and more and more killings and more misery that we have already seen in the Gaza Strip. And of course, among those who will be affected are the most vulnerable, people with disabilities, the injured, the children, women.”
16. Various shots of journalists in the Press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Displacement on the rise in Yemen as fighting continues - UNHCR
As hostilities worsen in Yemen, more people have been fleeing their homes, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis within the region, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.