New York: In a powerful and emotional address to the UN Security Council, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher sounded the alarm over the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that all 2.1 million residents are facing famine as no aid has been allowed in for over ten weeks.
Fletcher opened his briefing with a stark question to world leaders: "What will we tell future generations about our response to the atrocities unfolding daily in Gaza?" He cautioned against empty reassurances and called for decisive international action to prevent a looming genocide.
Highlighting the dire conditions, Fletcher said 70% of Gaza is now either under direct Israeli military control or subject to displacement orders. Millions have been forced into increasingly smaller areas, while the healthcare system teeters on the brink of total collapse. He shared harrowing accounts from hospitals, including one medic's description of children screaming in pain as burnt clothing is peeled from their bodies.
“We are ready to deliver aid immediately,” Fletcher emphasized, noting that the brief ceasefire proved humanitarian access is possible. “We have systems in place to ensure aid reaches civilians, not Hamas,” he added. But Israel continues to block deliveries, he said, prioritizing the goal of depopulating Gaza over saving lives.
Fletcher condemned what he described as Israel’s cynical tactics, including using starvation as a tool of leverage. “This is not a humanitarian solution. It’s a smokescreen for further violence and displacement,” he told the Council, urging them not to be complicit in what he called a “deliberate distraction.”
He also pointed to the escalating violence in the West Bank, where entire Palestinian communities have been destroyed, and refugee camps emptied, describing it as the worst situation in decades.
The UN aid chief stressed that humanitarian workers have been the only international civilian presence in Gaza for the past 19 months, consistently reporting on blocked aid, systematic destruction, and growing lawlessness.
He warned that the International Court of Justice is now examining whether genocide is occurring in Gaza and criticized the global community for ignoring provisional measures already issued by the court. “The ICJ may weigh the evidence later, but by then it will be too late for many,” he said.
Fletcher urged the Council to uphold international law, protect civilians, and demand accountability. He called on Israel to cease its military campaign against civilians and to lift the blockade immediately. He also demanded Hamas release all hostages and refrain from putting civilians in harm’s way.
“Future generations will hold us accountable for what we did — or didn’t do,” he concluded. “If we fail to act now, we must be prepared to face that judgment.”
