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Palestinians with their belongings flee to safer areas of Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike, October 13, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP)

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has revealed that intensive negotiations are underway between Israeli, Egyptian, US authorities and the UN regarding permission to bring fuel into Gaza.

Fuel, Griffiths stressed, is very important for the functioning of institutions, hospitals and for the distribution of water and electricity.

Echoing Griffiths’ statement, Hastings said: “Backup generators, which are essential to maintaining hospitals, desalination plants, food production facilities and other essential services, operate one by one when they lack fuel. »

No less important is that gas supplies brought to Gaza from Egypt by private parties before the outbreak of the Hamas war against Israel are becoming increasingly depleted.

“Humanitarian organizations like UNRWA will not be able to step in and replicate private sector distribution networks for these essential goods,” White said.

Nearly 600,000 people, White said, were housed in 149 UNRWA facilities, the largest of which were schools. He acknowledged, however, that his party had lost contact with many people in northern Gaza, where Israel carried out intense ground and air operations following the October 7 Hamas attack.

On average, 4,000 refugees in Gaza live in schools without the resources necessary to maintain adequate sanitation facilities.

“The conditions are very deplorable, women and children sleep in classrooms and men sleep outside in the open,” White said.

The UN cannot provide them with security, Mr. White stressed, pointing to more than 50 UNRWA installations affected by the conflict, including five directly affected.

“38 people have died in our shelters. I fear that with the current fighting in the north, this number will increase significantly,” he said.