As the situation in the Middle East deteriorates and two United Nations peacekeepers are injured in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, reports from Gaza reveal that 96% of its citizens are now facing starvation.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), posted on social media site X on 10th October that “Two WHO missions to northern Gaza were impeded and denied again today. He urged Israel to –

• Stop evacuation orders, and protect hospitals. North Gaza has barely any health services left. People have no where to go.
• Facilitate humanitarian missions. Lives depend on it.
• Work towards a ceasefire. All people trapped in this conflict need peace.

It is now over a year since the appalling attacks by Hamas in Israel and the taking of hostages, and the bombardment of Gaza by Israel resulting in what is now a genocide of the Gazans.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General issued a statement marking the year of atrocities in which he said:

“One year has passed and not a day goes by without families in Gaza being subjected to unspeakable suffering, as forced displacement, disease, hunger, and death have become the daily norm for 2 million people trapped in a bombed- out and besieged enclave.

“A year of profound loss, grief and suffering.

“A year of dehumanization and disregard of international law; a free fall descent into barbarism. 

“In Gaza, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war. More than 220 UNRWA team members have been killed: the highest death toll in the history of the United Nations.

“Children have been the first and most to suffer. Beyond the killing and injury, every child in Gaza is traumatized many with life-long invisible scars. More than 650,000 children are losing another year of learning. Instead of being in classrooms, they are sifting through the rubble in despair and fear.

“The destruction of essential infrastructure has reached catastrophic levels. 

“More than two thirds of UNRWA buildings have been hit and deemed unusable, the vast majority while sheltering displaced people under the UN flag.”

The charity Oxfam are urging people in the UK to contact their MPs about the role our government plays in facilitating the slaughter in Gaza, and now Lebanon. Oxfam are critical of the new Labour government for its failure to take enough action for Gaza. Although the UK has resumed funding for the relief agency UNRWA too little is being done about the sales of arms.

Oxfam state:

“The suspension of 30 out of 350 arms licenses isn’t anywhere near enough. Not forgetting the loopholes which allow UK-made components to be used in F-35 fighter jets – the same jets that continue to drop bombs on Palestinians in Gaza.

“The government has to take stronger action, now. The further escalation of hostilities across Lebanon and Israel is causing further tragic loss of life, and highlights the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

Click on this link for the campaign, Gaza: Demand action. Send a postcard to your MP now.

According to the Humanitarian Situation Update #227 | Gaza Strip | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – occupied Palestinian territory (ochaopt.org) in Gaza, and as reported by OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2024, at least 41,965 Palestinians were reportedly killed and 97,590 injured. This is based on the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

This number is for those who are known to have been killed in the military action by Israel. The number of people buried under the rubble of buildings is unknown. And now with 96% of Gazans facing starvation the actual number of those who will have died because of the obliteration of Gaza, its hospitals, agriculture and the hindering of humanitarian aid, will be many times higher than the official figure for those killed due to military action.

The latest satellite information about Gaza’s farmlands from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNOSAT shows that 67.6% of Gaza’s cropland had been damaged, as of 1 September 2024. Over 71% of orchards and other trees, 67% of field crops, and 58.5% of vegetables have been damaged.

Most of the Gaza city port infrastructure and vessels were destroyed in October 2023 and remain non-functional, with severe repercussions on trade and livelihoods.

Nestor Owomuhangi, from the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, Palestine office, described Gaza as ” an unparalleled scale of destruction.”

This Saturday, 12th October, islanders in Orkney will be holding their vigil for Gaza at the Kirk Green, Broad Street, Kirkwall from 1 to 2pm. They are asking those who attend to wear black as a sign of mourning for all the lives lost since October 7th 2023.

The islanders are calling for an immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages, and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

Orkney has links with the  Shu’fat Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Israel has been undermining the work of the United Nations and its partner agencies in the region. In this latest incident Israel has confiscated land on which the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is located in Jerusalem, with plans to build 1,440 settlement units on the site.

Many ambassadors in the UN’s Security Council have offered strong support for the “indispensable” role of the Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, which has come under increasing attack in the Israeli parliament. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said attempts to “dismantle” the agency would compromise humanitarian work and human rights worldwide.

The Shu’fat camp was established by UNRWA in 1965 in order to provide improved housing for the roughly 500 refugee families living in Mu’askar camp in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was illegally annexed by Israel post 1967 conflicts. Today its population is estimated at 16,419.

Islanders in Orkney welcome all those who wish to join them in the vigil and who share their hopes for an end to the slaughter of the civilians of Gaza.

A year on:

Fiona Grahame