The UN’s leading authority on aid and reconstruction in Gaza has stated that the global community is neglecting the urgent needs of innocent civilians in the region.
Sigrid Kaag, who has been in this crucial role for nine months, announced that her upcoming report to the UN Security Council will convey a “very sombre and perhaps dark” assessment of the situation in Gaza.
She characterized the current conditions as a “significant catastrophe,” emphasizing the failure to meet the basic needs of the population.
“We’re not only failing to meet the needs but also to provide hope and prospects for the civilians in Gaza,” she added.
In an exclusive interview, Kaag, the Senior UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Action and Reconstruction, noted that systems for delivering assistance to Gaza are operational, utilizing multiple land and sea routes.
She pointed out the dedication of UN personnel, stating, “The UN is working around the clock, and people are risking their lives daily,” yet lamented that Gaza remains “the most unsafe place in the world to work.”
Kaag expressed regret that significant improvements are unlikely until a ceasefire is established and Israeli hostages are released.
She described the current “deconfliction” efforts, aimed at ensuring the safe passage of aid operations, as inadequate: “It’s not working, or working insufficiently, to make the operations feasible.”
Last week, a UN aid convoy was reportedly obstructed by Israeli forces, and an airstrike tragically hit a UN school serving as a shelter, resulting in the loss of 18 lives, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence agency. The UN confirmed the deaths of six staff members.
Israeli authorities claimed Hamas misused the school as a command center and attributed some casualties to Hamas fighters.
The UN has reported that nearly 300 aid workers have lost their lives in the ongoing Gaza conflict, approaching its one-year anniversary, with over two-thirds being UN personnel.
Kaag, one of the few UN officials to engage with senior Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described those discussions as “constructive.”
“We have presented our requests. Some have been met, and we’ve received commitments,” she highlighted.
However, she noted a substantial gap between commitments made and tangible results, stating, “Between commitment and implementation, too much time passes.”
“There is not a day, not a second to lose,” she emphasized during the interview.
Israeli officials maintain that adequate aid is being sent to Gaza and contest reports of widespread hunger.
Kaag stated, “Our surveys indicate that the majority of the population is food insecure,” and recognized the challenges at the UN’s health centers concerning malnutrition among children.
When asked about claims regarding Hamas’s interference with aid delivery, Kaag remarked, “We hear that frequently, but I find it difficult to verify.”
While acknowledging the complexities of operating in a war zone, she assured, “I can vouch for the integrity of our operations.”
Kaag described UNRWA, the UN’s principal aid agency operating in Gaza, as “the backbone of our total aid efforts.”
In response to criticisms from Israeli authorities, who have accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas and have suggested its termination, Kaag acknowledged ongoing investigations into these allegations.
Last month, UNRWA terminated nine employees, having previously dismissed 12, and placed seven on administrative leave out of its workforce of 13,000 in Gaza.
Kaag, a veteran diplomat with decades of experience on Israeli-Palestinian matters, remarks that Gazans often ask her during her visits, “When will our suffering end?”
She acknowledged the profound trauma inflicted by this conflict, including on Israeli hostages, and voiced hope for forgiveness from those working to resolve the crisis.
“If we’re too slow, too little, too late, and if they feel that we failed them, the only recourse is to work even harder,” she stated.
However, she emphasized, “No compensation can rectify the lives lost and trauma endured; nothing will restore what has been taken.”
