Nearly nine months into the ongoing Israeli aggression that began on October 7, 2023, the population of Gaza faces severe humanitarian challenges, with widespread deprivation of food security, shelter, health, and livelihoods, a United Nations official reported on Friday.

Maryse Guimond, representing the UN Women office in Palestine, detailed the dire conditions in Gaza during a news conference at the UN after concluding a week-long mission in the region. "What I have seen defies description," Guimond stated. "The moment you enter at the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing, and the fence closes behind you, you feel locked into a world of devastation."

Guimond described the extensive destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, universities, and daycare centers. "As you move toward the middle area, you see crowds of people — men, women, and children — in makeshift tents, trapped in a world of scarcity."

She highlighted that over 1 million people in Gaza are in constant displacement, with no safe refuge for women and girls, many of whom have experienced multiple displacements. People are resorting to any available open space, including roads, agricultural land, and damaged buildings, as they are forced into increasingly smaller and less equipped areas.

"After nearly nine months of war, the population has been almost entirely dispossessed of the means and capacities to ensure food security, shelter, health, and livelihood," Guimond explained.

Women in Gaza repeatedly asked, "When can we go back to our homes?" Guimond noted, emphasizing the cumulative impact of each displacement, which brings additional loss and fear. "Gaza is more than two million stories of loss," she concluded, underscoring the immense human suffering and ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region. (ILKHA)