STORY: Gaza's situation unprecedented, indescribable: UNRWA
SHOOTING TIME: March 8, 2024
DATELINE: March 10, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:43
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Gaza
2. various of local residents
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SOBHY, Gaza resident
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): GHASSAN ABU-HASHESHA, Gaza resident

STORYLINE:

Commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said on Friday that the situation in the Gaza Strip defies description and has not been seen "in any previous crisis."
   
"We are facing a tragedy that is not related to food," Lazzarini said in a press statement, noting that people in Gaza suffer from deliberate starvation operations that could have been avoided.
   
He warned that the Gaza Strip, inhabited by about 2.35 million people, is on the verge of entering into a famine, and "children there are dying due to hunger and thirst," stressing the need to open land crossings for aid trucks to enter Gaza.
   
"Airdrops cannot replace land aid," he added.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SOBHY, Gaza resident
"We do not receive any aid. The children can't find anything to eat. There is no flour, no barley, and no wheat. We grind and bake any amount of barley and corn we find, but my children are in poor health. I don't have any energy or strength in my body even to stand. When I climb the stairs, I feel as if I am over 80 or 90 years old, although I am 45 years old. All of this is due to the lack of food."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): GHASSAN ABU-HASHESHA, Gaza resident
"We suffer greatly from difficult conditions due to the lack of food and drink here. People eat Khubeza (a type of mallow or vegetable) and sometimes have to grind animal fodder, made of corn, to bake bread. We're not asking for much. We just want enough food and drink for our children and elderly people. Additionally, we suffer from a lack of medicines."

According to the Gaza-based Health Ministry, at least 20 people, mostly children, have died as a result of malnutrition and drought caused by the war.
   
Meanwhile, Lazzarini said that the agency "has not yet received any evidence confirming Israel's allegations that UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attack," noting that it would be wrong to dismantle the UNRWA before reaching a permanent political solution.
   
In January, the organization was rocked by Israel's accusations that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, carried out by Hamas.
   
It led to several countries halting contributions of approximately 440 million U.S. dollars, representing nearly half of UNRWA's yearly funding.
   
Lazzarini said late last month that the agency is facing repeated calls by Israel to dismantle UNRWA and freeze its funding by donors.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)