Latest news with #Cherevko
Scoop
a day ago
- General
- Scoop
Gaza: As Last Fuel Supplies Run Out, Aid Teams Warn Of Catastrophe
19 June 2025 Speaking from Gaza City in the north of occupied territory, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that water pumps had stopped at one site for displaced people there on Wednesday 'because there's no fuel'. 'We are really - unless the situation changes - hours away from a catastrophic decline and a shutdown of more facilities if no fuel enters or more fuel isn't retrieved immediately,' she told UN News. In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that without the immediate entry of fuel or access to reserves, 80 per cent of Gaza's critical care units essential for births and medical emergencies will shut down. More killed seeking aid The development comes as Gaza's authorities reported that 15 people had been killed near an aid distribution hub in the centre of the Strip on Thursday. On Tuesday, unverified videos of another incident circulating on social media showed dead bodies lying in the street near a relief facility in the southern city of Khan Younis, reportedly following artillery fire. Finding food is a daily challenge for increasingly desperate Gazans who are ' simply waiting for food and hoping to find something in order not to watch their children starve in front of their eyes ', Ms. Cherevko explained. She added: 'I spoke with a woman a couple of days ago where she told me that she went with a friend of hers who is nine months pregnant in hopes of finding some food. Of course, they didn't manage because they were too afraid to enter areas where there could be incidents like the ones that have been reported over the past few days.' Search for shelter Back in Gaza City, OCHA's Ms. Cherenko said that conditions in shelters in Gaza are now 'absolutely horrific' and increasingly crowded - 'there are people coming from the north constantly,' the veteran aid worker added, while others are also moving back northwards, likely to be closer to the entry points for aid convoys. The amount of aid entering Gaza today remains extremely limited and far below the 600 trucks a day that used to reach the enclave before the war began in October 2023. In its latest update, OCHA reported that 'starvation and a growing likelihood of famine' are ever-present in the enclave. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women now face miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns as a result of the food shortages. Starvation diet 'With the very limited volume of aid that is entering, everyone continues to face starvation and people are constantly risking their lives to try to find something,' Ms. Cherevko continued. ' You eat or [you're] left with the choice of starving to death.' After more than 20 months of war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, 82 per cent of Gaza's territory is either an Israeli militarized zone or affected by evacuation orders. Three months since hostilities re-escalated on 18 March, more than 680,000 people have been newly displaced. 'With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in every available space, including overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas,' OCHA said.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Rising Hunger In Gaza Highlights Urgent Need For ‘Unfettered' Aid Supplies
11 June 2025 Only around 6,000 tonnes of wheat flour have entered the war-torn enclave since Israel began to allow limited supplies back in last month. However, 10,000 tonnes are urgently needed in the face of rising malnutrition, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA. ' The only way to address the situation on the ground is by re-opening additional crossings,' said OCHA's Olga Cherevko, speaking to UN News from Khan Younis. Beyond food aid She also stressed the need to allow 'unlimited and unfettered supply of aid to enter,' which includes items that go beyond food such as shelter materials, fuel, cooking gas, 'and other necessary elements to sustain life in Gaza.' Ms. Cherevko urged the Israeli authorities to make the task of delivering aid easier by 'providing a safe and enabling environment,' reducing waiting times for humanitarian missions and ensuring access to people in need. People in Gaza are suffering from harsh living conditions. Since March, Israeli restrictions on border crossings have tightened, making it even more difficult for Gaza's population – more than two million people - to access food. Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and Humanitarian Affairs chief Tom Fletcher, have described the aid that has entered as merely 'a trickle' or a 'a drop in the ocean'. Difficult decisions Although markets are crowded with people, they lack two essential elements: liquidity and goods. Most residents thus face three bitter choices: either seek food aid from the newly established US and Israel-backed distribution mechanism, which has already claimed dozens of lives in recent days; watch their children starve; or pay dearly for what's left of the goods and looted humanitarian aid in markets. 'Prices are unnatural, much higher than in Europe,' civil servant Akram Yousef recently told our UN News correspondent in Gaza. 'The situation is very difficult, and we have been like this for two years. In addition to displacement, homelessness, bombing, destruction, and devastation, traders are raising prices, and citizens are unable to bear this burden. What can we do?' More than 20 months of conflict have made living conditions in the Gaza Strip unbearable, and the cost of living is now among the highest in the world. Ahmed Al-Bahri, who was displaced from Beit Lahia with his family, said a loaf of bread now sells for seven shekels, or roughly $2. ' There is no flour, no milk, no diapers for children, or anything to eat,' he said. 'We live in a state of constant hunger. Where can I get seven shekels to buy a loaf of bread for my child? What is this child's sin?' Exorbitant fees The cessation of Palestinian banks' operations since the start of the war in October 2023 has exacerbated the suffering. People are forced to use phone apps to withdraw money from their bank accounts and to access their pensions through local merchants who charge exorbitant commissions. Mr. Youssef, the civil servant, said the commission for withdrawing his salary was 20 per cent, but over time it has increased to nearly 50 per cent. 'We have become envious of the dead' Several residents told UN News that the price of one kilogramme of flour is now 100 shekels, equivalent to roughly $29. "If a salary is 2,000 shekels, it becomes 1,000 shekels after commission,' another man, Ashraf Al-Deiri, explained. 'The daily expenses of an average or small family are no less than 500 shekels (roughly $143). So, we are experiencing great suffering and need someone to have mercy on us and stand by us." A young man called Raed Tafesh expressed shock over the high prices, especially since most of his peers are unemployed and lack any source of income. ' We don't earn a single shekel. We are not employed, and we don't have jobs. We are dying slowly. We have become envious of the dead," he said. The tragic conditions are reflected in the eyes of mothers and fathers who see their children starving, such as Nimir Ghazal. She said her salary is not even enough to buy fruits, vegetables or any healthy food for her children. 'Sometimes I cry when my hungry children ask for a piece of bread. A kilo of flour costs 100 shekels, and lentils cost 50. One kilo is not enough for my family, but I buy it and share it among them,' she said. UN efforts continue On Monday, UN teams were able to collect some supplies, mainly flour, from the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The aid was bound for Gaza City when hungry and desperate people snatched it directly from the trucks. There have also been previous instances of looting and attacks on truck drivers which the UN categorically rejects. OCHA has emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility for maintaining public order and safety in Gaza. This should include allowing more essential supplies to enter through multiple crossings and roads to meet humanitarian needs and help curb looting.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
INTERVIEW: Time's Being Wasted On Politics Of Aid While Deaths Mount In Gaza, Warns Senior Official
The UN already has a proven system to deliver assistance to people in Gaza and will not take part in any plan that does not uphold universally established humanitarian principles, a spokesperson for aid coordination office OCHA affirmed on Friday. ' There's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid,' Olga Cherevko said in an exclusive interview with UN News. This week, UN agencies were able to bring limited amounts of food, flour and other items into Gaza after Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade. Ms. Cherevko said humanitarians were told this was a temporary measure until aid distribution is implemented through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an initiative backed by Israel and the United States. The plan sees aid dispersed from four points south of the Netzarim Corridor, which is under Israeli military control, and involves the use of private US contractors. She discussed this development, the positive impact of the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza, and the need to scale up efforts. ' There is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back – and that they are just waiting to die,' she said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity Olga Cherevko: We've been speaking about this and other proposals and plans. Our concerns are that any distribution of aid, any system that exists, needs to be in line with globally established humanitarian principles. And if it isn't, it's not something that we can be involved in. We have concerns about the scalability of this proposed plan, and about various other parts of it. The biggest issue is that we have a plan, and we have a system that we are using as we speak, and the system has been tried over various crises across the world. It has been proven to work, it has mechanisms to mitigate theft, to mitigate diversion and it ensures that it reaches people wherever they are. So, there's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid. The volume of aid is literally a drop in the ocean of what is needed UN News: The UN definitely will not be taking part in this plan, but did you receive any indications that you will be able to proceed with the work that you've been doing over the past couple of days? Olga Cherevko: For the time being it's unclear because obviously the resumption of limited volumes of aid entering that the Israeli authorities have approved as of a few days ago, we were obviously assured that we would be using our mechanisms – so the ones that we're using now, the ones that are already in place. We were informed that this would be an interim measure until this Foundation starts working. At this point, we really don't have more details and again, it will have to be seen on the ground how things will develop. UN News: Were any trucks allowed in today and was more aid distributed? Olga Cherevko: There have been batches of trucks coming in since this decision to allow them was approved. We have already been able to get some of the aid to the people in need, including getting flour to bakeries, and a number of bakeries have resumed their operations and fired up their ovens. We also had some partners who picked up the bread for direct distribution. A field hospital also received a batch of medical supplies. These are obviously very positive steps and positive developments in the right direction, but the volume of this aid is literally a drop in the ocean compared to the extent of needs on the ground. UN News: We heard that most, if not all, of the supplies that were allowed in yesterday were nutritional and food aid. Is this a new development that some medical supplies were allowed in today? How many people can be served with these food items and medical supplies? Olga Cherevko: The medical supplies were always part of the agreement to be included. But again, this is something that in itself is limiting because at the moment what is being allowed is things like nutrition, flour, some medicines and a few other things. It has to be a full range of things for us to be able to really deliver assistance at scale. In terms of how many people it will serve, you can compare the kind of volumes that we were having during the ceasefire to what we have now and you will see that it's woefully insufficient. But we have enough food alone to feed people for several months waiting at the crossings. UN News: The World Food Programme (WFP) said 15 of its trucks were looted. Can you tell us what's being done to prevent looting? Olga Cherevko: Regarding looting and break-ins or whatever to try to divert or take aid – if you look at the numbers of these kinds of incidents before the ceasefire and during the ceasefire you will see a huge change. There were barely any such incidents during the weeks of the ceasefire when we were able to bring in these large volumes (of aid). When the ceasefire broke down and the crossings were closed for the entry of any cargo, and we got to the point where we were really in a desperate situation and we were running low on everything, that is when they started again. UN News: Let's go back to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. As the four distribution points are going to be south of the Netzarim Corridor– reportedly one in Middle Gaza and the others in the south – are you already starting to see movements towards those areas? What are your concerns about displacement? People are sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go Olga Cherevko: Our concerns about displacement are what they have always been. Obviously, we would never support any sort of forced displacement, or any type of ethnic cleansing, or anything that would forcibly drive people from the areas where they are. Before the ceasefire, more than 90 per cent of people were forcibly displaced across Gaza and they were being squeezed into an increasingly smaller piece of land. When the ceasefire happened a lot of them went back. They tried to restart their lives and they kind of had a bit of time to process what's been happening. When the ceasefire broke down again on 18 March, we saw another 610,000 people displaced again. These types of displacement are getting more and more dangerous and desperate because people are coming with nothing. People are fleeing with just the shirt on their back. We're now hearing and seeing people sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go. As we've said time and time again, there is no safe place in Gaza, and this has been proven time and time again. UN News: You've been back and forth to Gaza for quite some time now, and you've seen the suffering first-hand. Can you give our audience an idea of what it means in real-life terms when aid is prevented from reaching those in need? Olga Cherevko: Something that has always stuck me about the Palestinians in Gaza is their resilience and their strength, and the spirit that they have kept throughout these months of war. I knew Gaza well before because I used to work there for several years starting from 2014, and knowing how people have endured so much suffering and despite that they find the strength to go, they find the strength to smile at you and to offer you tea or anything that they might still have. Now when I speak to people, the thing that is most devastating is that there is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back and that they are just waiting to die. Before this limited aid was allowed to enter, the remaining operating community kitchens would have hundreds of people huddled around them waiting for hours with empty pots. Many were told to turn back because there's no food for them. People were telling me that they weren't eating for several days at a time. I saw children that are being malnourished, and suffering from malnutrition. These kinds of things are very preventable, and preventable deaths are happening all around us because of this intentional crisis imposed on Gaza by closing the crossings. And that is the most frustrating thing for me – knowing that we can quickly address these issues if only we were given the opportunity – because we have everything waiting outside of Gaza to come in.
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
INTERVIEW: Time's Being Wasted On Politics Of Aid While Deaths Mount In Gaza, Warns Senior Official
' There's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid,' Olga Cherevko said in an exclusive interview with UN News. This week, UN agencies were able to bring limited amounts of food, flour and other items into Gaza after Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade. Ms. Cherevko said humanitarians were told this was a temporary measure until aid distribution is implemented through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an initiative backed by Israel and the United States. The plan sees aid dispersed from four points south of the Netzarim Corridor, which is under Israeli military control, and involves the use of private US contractors. She discussed this development, the positive impact of the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza, and the need to scale up efforts. ' There is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back – and that they are just waiting to die,' she said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity Olga Cherevko: We've been speaking about this and other proposals and plans. Our concerns are that any distribution of aid, any system that exists, needs to be in line with globally established humanitarian principles. And if it isn't, it's not something that we can be involved in. We have concerns about the scalability of this proposed plan, and about various other parts of it. The biggest issue is that we have a plan, and we have a system that we are using as we speak, and the system has been tried over various crises across the world. It has been proven to work, it has mechanisms to mitigate theft, to mitigate diversion and it ensures that it reaches people wherever they are. So, there's been so much time wasted talking about the various proposals and the various plans. In the meantime, people are dying and are left without aid. The volume of aid is literally a drop in the ocean of what is needed UN News: The UN definitely will not be taking part in this plan, but did you receive any indications that you will be able to proceed with the work that you've been doing over the past couple of days? Olga Cherevko: For the time being it's unclear because obviously the resumption of limited volumes of aid entering that the Israeli authorities have approved as of a few days ago, we were obviously assured that we would be using our mechanisms - so the ones that we're using now, the ones that are already in place. We were informed that this would be an interim measure until this Foundation starts working. At this point, we really don't have more details and again, it will have to be seen on the ground how things will develop. UN News: Were any trucks allowed in today and was more aid distributed? Olga Cherevko: There have been batches of trucks coming in since this decision to allow them was approved. We have already been able to get some of the aid to the people in need, including getting flour to bakeries, and a number of bakeries have resumed their operations and fired up their ovens. We also had some partners who picked up the bread for direct distribution. A field hospital also received a batch of medical supplies. These are obviously very positive steps and positive developments in the right direction, but the volume of this aid is literally a drop in the ocean compared to the extent of needs on the ground. UN News: We heard that most, if not all, of the supplies that were allowed in yesterday were nutritional and food aid. Is this a new development that some medical supplies were allowed in today? How many people can be served with these food items and medical supplies? Olga Cherevko: The medical supplies were always part of the agreement to be included. But again, this is something that in itself is limiting because at the moment what is being allowed is things like nutrition, flour, some medicines and a few other things. It has to be a full range of things for us to be able to really deliver assistance at scale. In terms of how many people it will serve, you can compare the kind of volumes that we were having during the ceasefire to what we have now and you will see that it's woefully insufficient. But we have enough food alone to feed people for several months waiting at the crossings. UN News: The World Food Programme (WFP) said 15 of its trucks were looted. Can you tell us what's being done to prevent looting? Olga Cherevko: Regarding looting and break-ins or whatever to try to divert or take aid - if you look at the numbers of these kinds of incidents before the ceasefire and during the ceasefire you will see a huge change. There were barely any such incidents during the weeks of the ceasefire when we were able to bring in these large volumes (of aid). When the ceasefire broke down and the crossings were closed for the entry of any cargo, and we got to the point where we were really in a desperate situation and we were running low on everything, that is when they started again. UN News: Let's go back to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. As the four distribution points are going to be south of the Netzarim Corridor– reportedly one in Middle Gaza and the others in the south – are you already starting to see movements towards those areas? What are your concerns about displacement? People are sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go Olga Cherevko: Our concerns about displacement are what they have always been. Obviously, we would never support any sort of forced displacement, or any type of ethnic cleansing, or anything that would forcibly drive people from the areas where they are. Before the ceasefire, more than 90 per cent of people were forcibly displaced across Gaza and they were being squeezed into an increasingly smaller piece of land. When the ceasefire happened a lot of them went back. They tried to restart their lives and they kind of had a bit of time to process what's been happening. When the ceasefire broke down again on 18 March, we saw another 610,000 people displaced again. These types of displacement are getting more and more dangerous and desperate because people are coming with nothing. People are fleeing with just the shirt on their back. We're now hearing and seeing people sleeping in the streets because there's nowhere for them to go. As we've said time and time again, there is no safe place in Gaza, and this has been proven time and time again. UN News: You've been back and forth to Gaza for quite some time now, and you've seen the suffering first-hand. Can you give our audience an idea of what it means in real-life terms when aid is prevented from reaching those in need? Olga Cherevko: Something that has always stuck me about the Palestinians in Gaza is their resilience and their strength, and the spirit that they have kept throughout these months of war. I knew Gaza well before because I used to work there for several years starting from 2014, and knowing how people have endured so much suffering and despite that they find the strength to go, they find the strength to smile at you and to offer you tea or anything that they might still have. Now when I speak to people, the thing that is most devastating is that there is a sense that some people feel like this is the end and that there is no turning back and that they are just waiting to die. Before this limited aid was allowed to enter, the remaining operating community kitchens would have hundreds of people huddled around them waiting for hours with empty pots. Many were told to turn back because there's no food for them. People were telling me that they weren't eating for several days at a time. I saw children that are being malnourished, and suffering from malnutrition. These kinds of things are very preventable, and preventable deaths are happening all around us because of this intentional crisis imposed on Gaza by closing the crossings. And that is the most frustrating thing for me - knowing that we can quickly address these issues if only we were given the opportunity – because we have everything waiting outside of Gaza to come in.
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Childhood doesn't exist in Gaza
Last week marked the deadliest in Gaza since the truce collapsed in March. In preparation for its extensive ground offensive, Israel said it struck 670 Hamas targets in Gaza over the past week. The Hamas-run health ministry reported that at least 464 Palestinians were killed in intensified airstrikes during the week leading up to yesterday. Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for UN OCHA, speaking to RTÉ from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, described the latest wave of bombardment as a "very heavy few days". She spoke of intensified strikes around where she lives, with "explosions heard nonstop". Announcing its new expansive ground operation yesterday, the Israeli Defence Forces said it "will intensify the military control in the Strip by segmenting it and relocating the population for their own protection". But the UN OCHA spokesperson said no place in Gaza offers such protection. "The humanitarian zones designated by the Israeli military were never safe," she said, citing the Al-Mawasi camp near Khan Younis in southern Gaza as an example. According to Gaza authorities, 24 people, including women and children, were killed in the camp during an airstrike yesterday night. The escalation has forced many Palestinians in northern Gaza to flee their homes once again. According to Ms Cherevko, 63,000 people have been displaced in the last three days alone. More than 500,000 have been uprooted since the ceasefire collapsed on 18 March. According to the UN, 90% of Gaza residents have been displaced at least once since the war began in October 2023. Hospitals have come under increased fire while being overwhelmed by the surge in patients. Gaza's health ministry said the Indonesian Hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza, had ceased operations. "The medics work under unbelievable stress and pressure and continue coming to work," said Ms Cherevko. "Some medical staff told me they never know whether they'll be next." Ms Cherevko, who worked in Gaza from 2014 to 2017 before returning last year during the current conflict, said, "Life was never easy in Gaza," but no one could have imagined "how bad it would get". The violence and deprivation are taking a devastating toll on children. "They have been deprived of every shred of childhood since this war began, having to grow up very quickly," she said. The education system in Gaza has collapsed, and UN workers are trying to offer some form of schooling to displaced children. "One girl I met in a shelter told me her favourite thing used to be waking up for school and going to class, dreaming of becoming an artist," Ms Cherevko recalled. "The only thing she's left to do now is try not to get killed - and wake up every morning to join the queue for water or food." After 11 weeks of complete humanitarian blockade - with no food, fuel, or medicine allowed into Gaza - UN OCHA has now distributed the last of its food stocks, Ms Cherevko said. With hot-meal kitchens shutting down rapidly, aid workers have seen a 75% drop in the number of meals prepared. "We went down from one million meals a day three weeks ago to just 250,000-290,000. The portions and variety of the remaining meals have been significantly reduced." Late last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel will allow "a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop" in Gaza. It remains unclear when the aid will resume or what exactly constitutes a "basic amount" for a population of two million.
