UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the Gaza Strip is facing a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, noting that 1.6 million people in the Strip are exposed to extreme levels of acute food insecurity.
Guterres said in a press statement on Saturday that the suffering in Gaza has reached an unprecedented level as a result of the blockade and destruction, calling on the international community to take immediate action to stop the deterioration of the situation and ensure the entry of humanitarian aid without delay.
He stressed that ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights is the only way to achieve security and just and lasting peace in the region.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has worsened recently with heavy rains, which caused the flooding of the tents of thousands of displaced people who lack minimum means of protection.
Health authorities in the Gaza Strip announced the death of a one-month-old infant as a result of the storm and severe cold, bringing the number of deaths caused by the harsh weather conditions in the Strip to 13.
The international community’s failure to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip has directly contributed to deepening the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, Türkiye's MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas' negotiating team head Khalil al Hayya on Saturday and discussed necessary measures to be taken for proceeding to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, Turkish security sources said.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin met the Hamas delegation in Istanbul within the scope of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and they discussed steps to be taken to prevent what they said were Israel's ceasefire violations.
They also discussed measures to be taken to resolve existing issues for proceeding to the second phase of the plan, the sources also said, without giving details. — Agencies
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