The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) issued a grave appeal on Tuesday, calling on the Israeli occupation to lift its crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip.

In a statement published on its official X account, UNRWA condemned the intensifying siege that has suffocated Gaza since March 2, stating that “despair has reached its peak” as 2.4 million Palestinians face extreme deprivation amid relentless Israeli bombardment, mass displacement, and total aid obstruction.

“Israel must lift the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip,” the agency demanded, adding that the occupation’s actions have created a man-made famine. The UN body highlighted that essential supplies — including food, water, and medicine — remain blocked at border crossings, causing catastrophic conditions and avoidable deaths, particularly among children and the elderly.

UNRWA also reported that thousands of Palestinian families continue to flee their homes under Israeli military orders and airstrikes, searching desperately for shelter and food in a landscape of devastation. Aid convoys have been systematically denied access, despite growing international condemnation and the collapse of Gaza’s health and sanitation systems.

Since March 2, Israeli forces have tightened their siege, closing key entry points and exacerbating Gaza’s already dire conditions. Humanitarian groups and rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the occupation’s starvation tactics constitute war crimes under international law.

As Gaza's suffering mounts, UNRWA’s call adds to the urgent demands from the international community for an end to the blockade, immediate humanitarian access, and accountability for Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people. (ILKHA)