Photo: ©2025UNRWA
A Dramatic Appeal by UN Agencies and the European Union
The situation in Gaza has reached a point of total humanitarian collapse. Despite recent Israeli announcements of daily “humanitarian pauses” in attacks, the European Union, the United Nations, and international organizations warn that such measures are not enough.
Only a permanent and sustained ceasefire, alongside unimpeded humanitarian access, can prevent further famine and loss of life.
One in three people in Gaza has gone days without food. Children are starving and dying before the eyes of doctors. According to the World Health Organization, in July alone, 63 people — including 24 children under the age of five — died from malnutrition. UNICEF reports that 80% of hunger-related deaths are children. As the healthcare system collapses, pregnant and breastfeeding women are severely affected, with one in five suffering from or at risk of acute malnutrition, as recently documented by Médecins du Monde.
Despite available humanitarian aid stockpiles, thousands of trucks carrying food and medicine remain immobilized and inaccessible, both inside and outside Gaza. The current distribution system, managed by the GHF under military control, does not serve humanitarian goals. Civilians are being targeted and shot at while searching for food. “The world is calling for this lifesaving aid to get through. We won’t stop working for that,” emphasized Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described Gaza as a place where people are “neither alive nor dead – just walking corpses.” Even humanitarian workers are fainting while on duty.
Since the onset of hostilities, over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 143,000 wounded — including approximately 18,000 children who have lost their lives.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that “countries failing to use their influence may be complicit in international crimes.”
The European Union and leading international organizations — including the UN, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, and UNRWA — are calling for:
- An immediate, permanent, and complete ceasefire
- Safe and unhindered humanitarian access
- An end to the siege and the use of starvation as a weapon of war
- Commitment by all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilians and essential infrastructure
The absence of coordinated international action risks setting a precedent of impunity and failure to protect human life.
MdM has had a longstanding presence in Gaza and the West Bank, implementing programs in primary healthcare and psychosocial support.
“When humanitarian aid is weaponized, it ceases to be universal, neutral, and independent — it becomes a weapon. This is not only a moral issue or a moral catastrophe, but a stain on our civilization,” said Nikitas Kanakis, board member of MdM Greece.