Palestinians in Gaza see themselves as ‘zombies’, says UN official
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Palestinians inspecting damage from an Israeli strike on a makeshift displacement camp, southern Gaza Strip, on Sept 10.
PHOTO: AFP
BRUSSELS - Palestinians in Gaza feel they are “zombies” left to fend for themselves, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories said on Sept 10.
“‘We’re two million zombies living on our own. All the ties are broken.’ This is how the people of Gaza see themselves,” Mr Muhannad Hadi said, citing a Palestinian he met during one of his many trips to the Gaza Strip.
Mr Hadi was in Brussels for a series of meetings with European officials, as the EU’s top diplomat, Mr Josep Borrell, was on a visit to the region, including Egypt and Lebanon.
“So anything that you take for granted, or anything you took for granted, or you worked for yesterday in your life, it’s not there for the people of Gaza, for the majority of the people of Gaza,” Mr Hadi said.
He added that “a lot of people have nothing to eat”, noting that many had no access to electricity or even a bed.
“No one should suffer because of war. No one should suffer because of the wrong politics. No one should suffer because of the failed politics that we are seeing,” the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said.
He accused politicians around the world of “not doing the job they should be doing”.
“That’s why we don’t have a ceasefire, and that’s why we don’t have a solution to their Gaza crisis,” he added.
Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war
Militants seized 251 hostages during the attack, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,020 people,
