UN Humanitarian Chief Details “Enormous Task” Facing Gaza Amid Ceasefire, Hostage Remains Identified
Gaza city - The scale of devastation in Gaza is “absolutely terrible,” according to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, following a visit to gaza City on Saturday. Griffiths, who also goes by Mr. Fletcher in the article, observed widespread destruction, noting that buildings standing just seven or eight months ago are now reduced to “a wasteland.” His visit coincides with the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the identification of remains of a hostage held in Gaza, handed over as part of the agreement.
griffiths outlined a 60-day plan to dramatically scale up aid efforts,aiming to distribute a million meals daily,rebuild the health sector,provide winter shelter,and return hundreds of thousands of children to school. “We now have a massive 60-day plan… but we owe it to the people here who have been through so much,” he told AFP in the Cheikh Radouane district. He acknowledged the “enormous task” facing the UN’s humanitarian aid coordination office (OCHA).
Across Gaza, emergency services are working to recover bodies from under rubble, while Hamas is tasked with locating and handing over the remains of Israeli hostages to the red Cross, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. A team of 81 members from Afad, the turkish disaster management agency, is stationed at the Egyptian border, awaiting permission to assist in the search for both Palestinian and Israeli remains.
The situation is further complicated by calls for increased aid access. The World Food Program has urged Israel to open all crossing points into Gaza to allow a significant influx of food supplies. A peace plan negotiated under the auspices of Donald Trump stipulates “full aid will be promptly delivered to the Gaza Strip” upon acceptance of the agreement. Later stages of the plan involve the disarmament of Hamas, amnesty or exile for its fighters, and continued Israeli withdrawal – points still under discussion.
The conflict began with a Hamas attack on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, the majority of whom were civilians, according to official data compiled by AFP. Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza has, according to figures from the Hamas Ministry of Health, led to 33,967 deaths, also predominantly civilians, as of November 26, 2023.
Context: The current ceasefire represents a temporary pause in a conflict that has caused widespread suffering and destruction in Gaza. The UN and international aid organizations are preparing for a massive humanitarian response, but face significant logistical and political challenges in delivering aid and rebuilding the territory. The long-term prospects for peace remain uncertain,with key issues such as the disarmament of Hamas and the future status of gaza unresolved.
