The United Nations’ aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring dignity and hygiene to Palestinians clinging to life in Gaza’s ruins on Saturday, as Israel and Hamas exchanged more bodies.
A convoy of white UN jeeps carried relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to see a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City.
“I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation – this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland – and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he said.
The densely populated cities of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, have largely been reduced to ruins by two years of bombardment and intense fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army.
United Nations’ aid chief Tom Fletcher points at a truck loaded with humanitarian aid as it is on its way to Gaza at Rafah Crossing at the Egypt-Gaza border, in Rafah, Egypt, on Thursday. Photo: OCHA/Handout via Reuters
Just over a week since US President Donald Trump helped broker a truce, the main border crossing to Egypt has yet to be reopened, but hundreds of trucks roll in daily via Israeli checkpoints and aid is being distributed.