UN says humanitarian crisis in Gaza ‘one of the most serious’

A little earlier, we heard from Lynn Hastings, the UN’s regional humanitarian chief, who said the situation in Gaza is “probably one of the most serious” because “people are actually trapped”.

She told the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen: “There is nowhere to go for anybody inside Gaza – they can’t get out through Egypt or Israel. They are literally being chased from corner to corner by the Israelis.”

Asked whether enough international pressure was being brought to bear on resolving the crisis, she said the UN, member states and the Israeli government all have obligations.

Referencing allegations that the UN isn’t doing enough, Hastings said it’s up to the Israeli government “to let us do enough, and right now the conditions inside Gaza are not permitting us to do our job and deliver humanitarian assistance”.

“But member states also have obligations. There’s the security council, everyone has to think about what they can do, which levers they can pull to make sure that we get a ceasefire, the hostages are released and we get a solution,” she added.