UN relief chief Tom Fletcher on Thursday warned that humanitarian gains in the Gaza Strip remain "fragile," saying the territory is being sustained only through extraordinary humanitarian efforts and the resilience of Palestinians.
"Gaza is being held together by humanitarian workarounds and Palestinian perseverance," Fletcher told a UN Security Council session on Palestine, emphasizing: "This is unsustainable."
"Today, Palestinians in Gaza remain deprived of the basics you would all demand for your own families: safety, shelter, clean water, healthcare, and education," he said.
Despite improvements under Resolution 2803, Fletcher said civilians continue to face severe challenges and humanitarian operations remain constrained.
Adopted seven months ago, Fletcher said the resolution is "a moment of hope, fragile, but real."
"This resolution has brought results," he added.
Arguing that the resolution helped reduce civilian harm from Israeli military strikes, he said: "It removed some of the barriers to humanitarian access that had constrained our efforts for years, allowing us to reach populations that had endured unbearable and unimaginable conditions."
Fletcher said humanitarian agencies had seen measurable improvements in access following the ceasefire.
"Six months after the ceasefire, denial rates for our missions had dropped from 31% to 11%," he said.
Pointing to improvements in food security conditions, Fletcher said: "Gaza is no longer currently classified as being in famine (IPC Phase 5), though remains in severe crisis (IPC Phase 4)."
"So, when humanitarians have protection, access, and funding, we can and will reach survivors with significant lifesaving support," he added.
Fletcher further stressed that the gains achieved so far fall far short of what Palestinians need, noting that "the attention of the world has been elsewhere."
"Despite reduced active fighting, civilians continue to be killed and maimed in daily airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire," Fletcher warned.
‘Most dangerous place on earth to deliver aid’
Calling Gaza "the most dangerous place on earth to deliver aid," Fletcher said, humanitarian workers continue to encounter major obstacles.
"Humanitarians still face continued, persistent, deliberate constraints," he said.
Fletcher noted that humanitarian access continues to depend on only one or two operational crossings despite greater capacity being available.
He said approval and customs procedures, along with restrictions on so-called "dual use" items, continue to limit the entry of critical supplies.
Warning over worsening living conditions across the strip, he said: "70% of the population needs proper shelter, and essential services are on the brink."
"Sanitation conditions continue to deteriorate - doctors report a stark increase in rat-bite cases. Let that sink in," he stressed.
Fletcher said shortages of generators, engine oil, and spare parts are forcing aid agencies to rely on expensive alternatives, including prolonged water trucking and complex medical evacuations.
Turning to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Fletcher said "a decades-long deterioration is accelerating rapidly," citing calls by Israeli officials for Palestinian "voluntary migration" and an intensification of discriminatory policies and practices.
Conveying three requests to the council, Fletcher said: protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza, and adequate funding for relief efforts.
Calling for renewed diplomatic engagement, he said implementation of Resolution 2803 requires "a genuine ceasefire, disarmament of Hamas, and civilian leadership in Gaza."
"Civilians cannot wait for a more convenient diplomatic moment to receive the basics for survival," Fletcher added.
