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Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world, after more than a year of Israel's war on the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations said.
"Gaza now has the highest number of children amputees per capita anywhere in the world — many losing limbs and undergoing surgeries without even anaesthesia," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday in remarks read out by his deputy at a Cairo conference aimed to accelerate humanitarian aid to the enclave.
Calling the situation in war-torn Gaza "appalling and apocalyptic", the UN chief warned that conditions faced by Palestinians in the territory may amount to the "gravest international crimes".
Guterres highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict and the urgent need for international action. "Malnutrition is rampant... Famine is imminent. Meanwhile, the health system has collapsed," he said.
The secretary-general also criticised the severe restrictions on aid delivery, calling the current levels "grossly insufficient".
According to UNRWA's count, only 65 aid trucks per day had been able to enter Gaza this past month, compared to a pre-war average of 500.
International aid organisations have repeatedly raised alarm over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, warning that civilians are on the brink of famine.
They have said aid shipments reaching the enclave are now at their lowest since the start of the Israeli war.
Israel, which early in the conflict imposed a complete siege for a period on the territory, has blamed aid issues on what it says is the inability of relief organisations to handle and distribute large quantities of aid.
Guterres said the blockade of aid to Gaza "is not a crisis of logistics" but rather "a crisis of political will and of respect for fundamental principles of international humanitarian law".
UNRWA, meanwhile, said all the attempts it made to deliver aid into northern Gaza had either been "denied" or "impeded" between October 6, 2024 and November 25, amid fierce fighting in the area.
Guterres said UNRWA is an "irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Palestinians", adding that "if UNRWA is forced to close, the responsibility of replacing its vital services ... would rest with Israel".
