**Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Northern Gaza Amid Ongoing Israeli Offensive**

UN agency officials and witnesses highlight dire conditions for civilians caught in the conflict.

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Unrwa) has reported that Israel continues to block humanitarian efforts aimed at delivering essential supplies, including food and medicine, to the north of Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini shared this alarming update on his X account, stressing the desperate situation as local hospitals struggle without power and medical care for the injured has become scarce.

As the fighting intensifies, residents in Jabalia refugee camp are fleeing in droves. Lazzarini described Unrwa's temporary shelters as overcrowded to the extent that displaced individuals are “forced to live in the toilets.” Reports indicate that those attempting to flee are often met with violence, resulting in further casualties.

While the Israeli military insists it is conducting evacuations and safeguarding hospital operations, ground reports from medics claim that Israeli troops have stormed medical facilities and other civilian areas. Notably, a school was reportedly attacked, resulting in multiple detentions and setting the building ablaze, according to medics at a nearby hospital.

Further complicating the humanitarian situation, at least ten individuals were reportedly killed when Israeli artillery struck a camp for displaced people located within a school in Jabalia. Videos shared online by local agencies depicted gruesome scenes, including the bodies of civilians, among them a child, lying amid the turmoil.

Despite claims of aid deliveries, many in Gaza remain skeptical. The Israeli military announced that it facilitated the transfer of food and fuel to the north, while UNICEF was allowed to deliver polio vaccines. However, the UN report from earlier this month indicated that no aid could enter northern Gaza when military operations began, with a minor increase in aid flagged only recently after diplomatic pressure from the U.S.

On the humanitarian front, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated its requests for access to Jabalia's Falouja area have been continually denied, deepening frustrations within the organization. A poignant video from a local resident detailed harrowing conditions with families trapped beneath debris from airstrikes.

In a separate assessment, Stephanie Eller from the International Committee of the Red Cross classified the humanitarian concerns for nearly 400,000 northern Gazans as “beyond imagination.” The intense clashes, coupled with evacuation orders, have fractured communities, leaving the vulnerable—such as the elderly and disabled—trapped with no safe options.

Medical facilities, including the Indonesian Hospital near Jabalia, are overwhelmed. With a fourth consecutive day without food, and dependence on Israeli military approval for operational power, healthcare providers are faced with relentless shortages. Chief nurse Hadeel Obeid confirmed that the hospital's water supply had been cut off.

The current conflict erupted after Hamas launched an unexpected attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of roughly 1,200 people, as well as the abduction of over 250 individuals. In response, Israel's offensive has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 42,000 residents in Gaza, as indicated by the local health ministry managed by Hamas.