UN Agency's Fuel Reserves Depleted by Wednesday Amid Palestinian Report of 700 Fatalities in a Day

The United Nations agency operating in Gaza announced that it will be compelled to cease its activities by Wednesday evening due to a scarcity of fuel. This will further aggravate the humanitarian emergency, as reported by Palestinian officials, with the besieged strip witnessing over 700 casualties in a span of 24 hours due to Israeli airstrikes.

The availability of crucial fuel resources, which are necessary for the function of hospitals, water pumping and desalination facilities, and bakeries, is nearing depletion. As a result, the UN Secretary General issued an urgent plea for an immediate ceasefire on Tuesday. However, this plea led to a heated dispute at the United Nations and prompted Israel to request his resignation.

Doctors in hospitals on the verge of collapse due to being overwhelmed have issued repeated warnings that without the arrival of fuel, both the influx of new patients injured in daily bombings and infants dependent on oxygen supplies will perish. Concerns are growing about a potential health crisis as the deteriorating conditions, absence of proper sanitation, and consumption of contaminated, saline water could lead to fatalities from dehydration, compounded by the collapsing water system and ongoing bombardment.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) posted on social media, stating that if fuel is not acquired urgently, operations in the #GazaStrip will be halted from tomorrow night. According to UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma, Gaza requires a minimum of 160,000 liters (42,267 gallons) of fuel daily for essential needs. UNRWA reported that only eight out of the scheduled 20 aid trucks successfully crossed into Gaza on Tuesday, without specifying the reasons behind the remaining 12 trucks failing to pass through the Rafah crossing.

Patients receive treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 24, 2023.

According to the World Health Organization, six hospitals in Gaza have had to shut down as a result of the Israeli siege that began two weeks ago, citing a shortage of fuel.

WHO stated that there are 1,000 dialysis-dependent patients, 130 premature babies, and other vulnerable individuals who rely on a continuous and reliable electricity supply to survive. Meanwhile, the IDF has denied entry of fuel into Gaza, expressing concern that Hamas would utilize it for its military activities and rocket assaults.

Israel's leadership has pledged to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the devastating terrorist attacks and kidnapping spree on October 7. This ruthless onslaught resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 individuals, predominantly innocent civilians, with over 200 others being held hostage.

In the wake of the assault, Israel launched a sustained aerial bombardment of Gaza that Palestinian health officials say has now killed more than 5,000 people.

An aid truck arrives at a UN storage facility as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in central Gaza on October 21, 2023.

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

In the past 24 hours, over 700 individuals were reported dead in Gaza, marking the highest daily death toll since Israeli airstrikes on what they claimed to be Hamas targets began two and a half weeks ago. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah released these figures on Tuesday, stating that among the casualties were 305 children, 173 women, and 78 elderly individuals.

Some two million people are crammed into the 140 square mile coastal strip that makes up Gaza, half of whom are children.

Tempers flare over calls for ceasefire

Emotions were intense at the UN Security Council on Tuesday as Secretary General António Guterres urged for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire, citing the evident breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Guterres criticized the approach of "protecting civilians" by forcing over one million individuals to evacuate to the south, where there is a lack of shelter, food, water, medicine, and fuel. He further condemned the ongoing bombings in the same southern region.

"It is crucial to acknowledge that the attacks carried out by Hamas did not occur in isolation," emphasized Guterres. "For 56 years, the Palestinian people have endured a suffocating occupation that has eroded their land with ongoing settlement expansion and engulfed them in violence. Their economy has been stifled, their population displaced, and their homes demolished."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters on October 24.

Seth Wenig/AP

Israeli diplomats swiftly reacted with strong criticism in response to his characterization of Hamas' October 7 carnage as "appalling." Nevertheless, he emphasized that such atrocities should not serve as a justification for subjecting the Palestinian people to collective punishment. He further highlighted the importance of respecting the rules even in times of war, addressing the Excellencies present.

Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, urged Guterres to resign immediately and criticized him as unfit to lead the UN on social media. Additionally, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who was present at the United Nations on Tuesday, announced that he would refuse to hold a meeting with Guterres, asserting that a fair-minded approach has no place.

Cohen expressed his strong sentiment on X, previously known as Twitter, stating, "Hamas should be completely eradicated from existence!"

No international consensus

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the international community has struggled to find consensus.

The US has rejected demands for a truce between Israel and Hamas, stating that Hamas must first free the hostages held in Gaza, according to John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council. On Tuesday, CNN reported that discussions to secure the release of numerous hostages detained by Hamas in Gaza are still taking place. However, these negotiations are hindered by various complicating factors, as per two sources and one Western diplomat knowledgeable about the deliberations.

The ongoing deliberations involve the United States, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and Hamas. Up until now, four hostages, including two Americans and two Israelis, have been successfully freed. However, the current objective is to negotiate the release of a larger group of hostages simultaneously. Israel has refrained from executing a ground incursion into Gaza thus far, as the US has urged them to postpone it further to facilitate the liberation of additional hostages currently held by Hamas.

Israeli grandmother, Yocheved Lifshitz, aged 85, gazes upon her rescuers at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 24, 2023, following her release by Hamas militants. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

Janis Laizans/Reuters

'I went through hell:' Released Hamas hostage describes being kidnapped and taken into tunnel system

Foreign Minister Cohen stated that Israel's primary objective was to safely retrieve the hostages, which included infants, twins, and Holocaust survivors, emphasizing that this mission remained of utmost importance.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the US military advisers have advised Israelis against launching a full-scale ground assault in Gaza. They are urging Israel to avoid engaging in the brutal urban combat that the US experienced during the Iraq War. The goal is to prevent the Israelis from becoming mired in bloody, house-by-house fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to indicate on Tuesday that a ground offensive was still planned, stating, "we are preparing for the next stage."

This story is currently in progress and is being regularly updated. Reporting for CNN has been provided by Abeer Salman, Hamdi Alkhshali, Kareem El Damanhoury, Eyad Kourdi, AnneClaire Stapleton, Mariya Knight, Richard Roth, Chris Liakos, Maya Szaniecki, Tamar Michaelis, Eve Brennan, Vasco Cotovio, Julia Puckette, Clarissa Ward, Jomana Karadsheh, Amy Cassidy, MJ Lee, Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak, and Alex Marquardt.