UN agencies call for urgent renewal of ceasefire in Gaza as civilian death toll surges

More than 2.1 million people remain trapped under bombardment and face starvation, agencies say

Palestinians mourn loved ones killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Reuters

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

The heads of six UN agencies demanded an urgent renewal of the Gaza ceasefire on Monday, warning of catastrophic aid shortages and a surging civilian death toll as fighting intensifies.

“For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza,” the agencies said in a joint statement. “Just a few days ago, the 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme during the ceasefire had to close due to flour and cooking gas shortages.”

More than 2.1 million people remain trapped under bombardment and face starvation, the agencies said, while life-saving supplies – including food, medicine, fuel and shelter materials – pile up at border crossings, blocked from entry.

In the first week after the ceasefire collapsed, more than 1,000 children were reportedly killed or injured, making it the deadliest week for Gaza’s children in the past year, they added. The agencies condemned what they called “acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life", as Israeli eviction orders have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, with no safe refuge. “No one is safe,” they said.

Closure of border crossings causes Gaza bakeries to shut

01:08

At least 408 humanitarian workers, including more than 280 from the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, have been killed since October 2023, according to UN figures. With Israel’s tightened blockade now in its second month, the agencies called on world leaders to act “firmly, urgently and decisively” to enforce international humanitarian law and prevent further civilian suffering.

French President Emmanuel Macron has also urged the lifting of Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid. Mr Macron was in Cairo on Monday to meet Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and later with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who are also calling for a ceasefire.

Israel ended its truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas last month and cut off all entry of food, fuel and humanitarian aid to the territory to try to pressure Hamas to accept new terms in the ceasefire agreement.