U.N. Relief Chief Says Gaza’s Aid Shortages Will Bring ‘Apocalyptic’ Consequences

The United Nations humanitarian chief warned on Sunday that the ongoing massive aid shortage in Gaza will bring “apocalyptic” consequences for the Palestinian enclave, which has faced Israel’s devastating military offensive now for almost eight months.

Speaking to AFP, Martin Griffiths said that the Israeli military’s decision to effectively close the two biggest crossings in southern Gaza as it invades Rafah will only worsen the enclave’s already deadly starvation crisis.

“If fuel runs out, aid doesn’t get to the people where they need it,” Griffiths said while in Doha, Qatar. “That famine, which we have talked about for so long, and which is looming, will not be looming anymore. It will be present.”

“And I think our worry, as citizens of the international community, is that the consequence is going to be really, really hard,” he continued. “Hard, difficult and apocalyptic.”

Gaza was already only receiving a trickle of humanitarian assistance through the aid crossings due to Israeli forces either blocking trucks from entering or attacking them once they entered the enclave. Palestinians in Gaza heavily rely on outside aid, even before Israel launched its military offensive in response to Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Despite international warnings against an invasion into Rafah ― where 1.4 million Palestinian refugees were essentially corralled to after Israeli forces destroyed their homes in other parts of the Strip – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his soldiers move forward with their plan to destroy Gaza’s southernmost city, closing up the Rafah and Kerem Shalom aid crossings that trucks used to bring in food, water, fuel and medicine.

As of Saturday, the U.N. said that more than 800,000