Olga Cherevko of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking from Gaza City, described a landscape devastated by war, where hospitals are out of blood supplies, fuel is strictly rationed, and basic survival needs like water are triggering conflict among civilians.
“Gaza lies in ruins,” she said, painting a grim picture of children scavenging for fuel and shelters being bombed even as people flee with nothing.
Amid this desperation, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza was struck by drones in international waters off Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The explosion, caught on video, ignited a fire aboard the vessel Conscience, which was later extinguished.
Though no injuries were reported, the group accused Israel of targeting the aid ship, an allegation Israel has not responded to. The incident revives memories of the deadly 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara during a previous attempt to break the blockade.
With over 52,000 Palestinians reportedly killed in the ongoing war and most of Gaza left in ruins, Cherevko emphasized the global choice at hand: “To keep scrolling through the grisly images of Gaza being suffocated and starved, or muster the courage to break this merciless blockade.”