Between March 18 and 23, 2025, local health authorities in Gaza reported that 830 individuals lost their lives amid escalating conflict, including 174 women and 322 children. Additionally, 1,787 people were injured during the same period.
“These wartime actions exhibit clear signs of atrocity crimes,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “Hundreds of children and other civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Densely populated neighborhoods and hospitals have again become battlegrounds — patients have died in their hospital beds, ambulances have come under fire, and humanitarian first responders have been killed.”
This surge in violence follows the end of a two-month ceasefire, with renewed Israeli bombing beginning ten days ago. “What we’ve witnessed on the ground over the past 10 days is a blatant disregard for human life and dignity,” Laerke added, underlining that the UN remains present in Gaza.
No Safe Place Left to Go
Maryse Guimond, UN Women’s representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, shared testimonies from Palestinians refusing to follow new evacuation directives issued by the Israeli military. “There are no safe places anyway,” many said.
Speaking from Amman, Guimond described the desperate conditions: “This is now a matter of pure survival for families. One woman from Deir al Balah told us, ‘My mother says death is the same whether in Gaza City or Deir al Balah. We just want to return to our home in Gaza.’”
Dr. Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), echoed these urgent concerns, calling the situation “as bad as it ever was.” She stressed the immediate need for a new ceasefire, emphasizing that life-saving medical work cannot continue under the current conditions. “Before the ceasefire, we were constantly pleading to be allowed to simply help people. Now, it’s impossible to go on like this.”
Healthcare services in Gaza are approaching total collapse. Deliveries of vital medical supplies have been blocked since March 2, and resources are critically low. “Essential supplies for safe childbirth and maternal care will soon be depleted,” warned Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the region, speaking from Jerusalem. He also reported that at least a dozen ambulances have ceased operations due to fuel shortages.
International Law and Collective Punishment
The conflict, which erupted after Hamas-led attacks in Israel, has devastated Gaza and drawn global condemnation due to its catastrophic toll on civilians.
“Nothing can justify punishing the entire Palestinian population,” asserted OCHA’s Laerke. “International humanitarian law is explicit: indiscriminate attacks, blocking humanitarian aid, destroying civilian infrastructure, and taking hostages are all prohibited.”
He emphasized that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued provisional measures under the Genocide Convention, which remain binding. Nonetheless, reports from the ground reflect “a total lack of adherence to the most fundamental human principles,” Laerke concluded.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, UN agencies continue to call for an immediate end to hostilities to prevent further loss of life and preserve what limited resources remain for Gaza’s civilian population.
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