UN warns of devastating impact as Israel’s Gaza closure enters 20th day

Israel’s closure of all crossings into Gaza entered its twentieth day on Friday, the longest shutdown since October 7, 2023, according to the UN.

“This latest closure is having a devastating impact on people already facing catastrophic conditions,” UN Deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told a press briefing on Friday.

“Each passing day further erodes the progress made by the UN and our humanitarian partners during the first six weeks of the ceasefire,” he added.

He said that beyond the depletion of stocks, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that humanitarian operations are now being “severely hampered by hostilities.”

Pointing out that civilians, including aid workers, and civilian assets have come under attack, he said the UN “is seeking concrete assurances for the safety of our staff and operations in Gaza, following the killing of six UN personnel and injury of several others this week, including in the attack on a clearly designated UN compound.”

The OCHA also warned, Haq said, that “the steady flow of trauma injuries is putting even more pressure on an already shattered healthcare system.”

“Our humanitarian partners estimate that more than 120,000 Palestinians have been displaced once again this week, driven by intensified attacks and new Israeli evacuation orders across the Gaza Strip,” he continued.

“That’s about 6 percent of the surviving population,” Haq emphasized.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, the UN has recorded nearly 850 checkpoints, gates and other physical obstacles, the deputy spokesperson said.

This is the highest number documented in any of the 16 surveys that the OCHA has conducted over the past two decades, he stressed.

Haq pointed out that in just the past three months, three dozen new movement obstacles have been established — most of them following the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire in mid-January.

“Road gates account for a third of all obstacles — and most of them are frequently kept closed,” he said.

The spokesperson cited Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as having noted that Friday marked 60 days since Israel began its military operations in the Jenin refugee camp.

“He said that such large-scale, militarized operations cannot become the new norm in the West Bank,” Haq stated, adding “This trend of escalating violence — which started even before 7 October 2023 — must be reversed.”

The renewed Israeli violence on March 18 has broken a ceasefire that began on January 19. The latest military actions have killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured many more, primarily civilians, including women and children.

While numerous countries and human rights groups have condemned the violations, the US has continued its support for Israel, asserting that the military campaign was carried out with prior knowledge and approval from Washington.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 49,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.