According to a report by news agency Xinhua, UN official Philip Lazzarini on Wednesday (24 October) quoted the latest UN study on social media platform X, saying that the war has devastated the Palestinian economy. Almost the entire population of Gaza is living in poverty, sectors like health and education have gone back 70 years.

Let us tell you that Lazzarini is the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Lazzarini said, 'The longer this goes on, the longer it will take to return millions of girls and boys to the learning environment, the greater the challenges of reducing these huge losses.'
Earlier, Lazzarini had appealed for an immediate halt to the fighting in northern Gaza so that humanitarian aid could be delivered to the civilians trapped there. In a post on X, he said that UNRWA staff have reported not getting food, water, or medicine in the war-torn area.

People are just waiting to die.

Philippe Lazzarini said, 'There is a smell of death everywhere, bodies are lying on the streets or under the rubble. Missions to remove the bodies or provide humanitarian aid have been rejected. The UN agency chief further said, ‘People in northern Gaza are just waiting to die. They feel lonely, hopeless, and isolated. They live from one hour to the next, fearing death every moment.’

"On behalf of our staff in northern Gaza, I am calling for an immediate ceasefire, even if only for a few hours, to ensure safe humanitarian passage for families who wish to leave the area and reach safer places. This is the minimum to save the lives of civilians who have nothing to do with this conflict," Lazzarini wrote.

How did the war start?

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year. Nearly 1200 people were killed in the attack while more than 250 people were taken hostage. Since then, Israel has been attacking the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas.
Gaza-based health officials said in a statement on Wednesday that the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 42,792.