UN Official Calls Gaza a “Death Trap” Amid Unrelenting War

Gaza has become “a death trap” amidst “a war without limits,” a UN humanitarian official said on Wednesday. Jonathan Whittall, acting director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described the situation as “an endless loop of blood, pain, and death.”

Whittall recounted a recent mission in Rafah, where a mass grave of medics was uncovered. “It was shocking to find medical workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Civil Defense, still in their uniforms, still wearing gloves. They were killed while trying to save lives,” he said.

The medical workers had been dispatched to Rafah as Israeli forces advanced into the area. Their ambulances were struck one by one. The mass grave was marked by the emergency light from a vehicle crushed by Israeli forces. Among those buried were the ambulances, a fire truck, a UN vehicle, and the bodies of the fallen medics.

During the recovery operation, Whittall witnessed civilians fleeing under fire. “We saw people running towards us under fire and being shot in their backs,” he said. He also reported that UN premises had been struck by tank fire, resulting in the death of a colleague and serious injuries to others.

“We’ve had international aid compounds and hospitals that have been hit,” he added. “We’ve seen municipal workers killed in humanitarian-donated trucks. Food distribution points have been bombed, and aid workers have been killed. Humanitarian warehouses have also been damaged in strikes.”

Since the ceasefire collapsed two weeks ago, forced displacement orders have resumed. Whittall noted that in the past two days alone, around 100,000 people had been displaced from Rafah, many fleeing under fire. “My colleagues tell me they just want to die with their families. Their worst fear is to survive alone,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the intensified hostilities and the reported killing of over a thousand people, including women and children, since the ceasefire’s collapse. He was also “shocked” by the March 23 attack on a medical and emergency convoy, which killed 15 medical personnel and humanitarian workers. “Medical personnel and humanitarian and emergency workers must be protected by all parties to the conflict at all times, as required by international humanitarian law,” said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

At least 408 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, including around 280 UN staff, according to UN data. Joyce Msuya, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator, stressed at the Security Council that attacks on aid workers must end, and those responsible must be held accountable.