Children stand in front of a house destroyed by bombing in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza: It will take years to clear almost 23 million tons of rubble Peace and Security
The war in Gaza has already left nearly 23 million tons of building rubble and unexploded ordnance scattered across the enclave. The United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Friday it will be years before the sector is safe again.
The lives of more than two million Gazans have been destroyed by daily Israeli bombings following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, UNRWA noted on X, formerly Twitter.
Amid intense fighting, the agency continues to provide assistance to an estimated 1.5 million displaced people in the south of the enclave. UNRWA operates shelters for more than a million people, providing humanitarian aid and primary health care to people experiencing homelessness.
The violence continues
In its latest update on the situation in Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported ongoing violence across much of the strip, particularly in the Hamad area of Khan Yunis. “The fighting is resulting in further civilian casualties, mass displacement, and the destruction of homes and other civilian infrastructure,” the report said.
OCHA noted that UN partners Mine Action Teams are currently assessing the presence of explosive hazards and informing Gazans of potential dangers.
Increased funding
Australia has become the latest country to announce its intention to renew funding for UNRWA. Several months ago, the agency faced a significant decline in international donor support amid Israeli accusations that several UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 terrorist attack.
The United Nations continues to investigate the allegations , which UNRWA also complements with its own investigation. Shortly after these allegations became public, nine UNRWA staff members were fired.
Maritime Corridor
Efforts to create a new sea route for aid delivery from Cyprus to Gaza continued Friday as the NGO World Central Kitchen’s Open Arms vessel docked off the coast in the north of the sector.
The ship left Larnaca, in southern Cyprus, on Tuesday with 200 tons of humanitarian supplies that will be brought ashore after south of the city Gaza pier will be built.