The UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has issued an urgent call for Israel to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has now entered its second month. Fletcher warned that the policy is causing severe humanitarian consequences and constitutes a violation of international law.

“To the Israeli authorities, and to those who may still reason with them, we say once again: lift this brutal blockade. Let humanitarian workers save lives,” said Fletcher in a statement released Monday.

He acknowledged Israel’s stated intention to pressure Hamas, stressing that while the hostages must be freed and should never have been taken, civilian lives must not be used as bargaining chips.

“International law is unequivocal: as the occupying power, Israel must allow the entry of humanitarian aid. Aid — and the civilian lives it saves — must never be treated as currency,” he added.

Fletcher described the blockade as a form of collective punishment, noting that it has led to widespread hunger, lack of basic medical care, and the erosion of dignity and hope among Gaza’s 2.2 million residents.

“Blocking aid kills,” he stated bluntly. “It starves the civilian population. It strips them of basic medical support. It is an act of cruelty.”

He also expressed deep frustration with the international community’s inability to prevent the worsening humanitarian crisis, calling the ongoing situation in Gaza an “injustice” that must be urgently addressed.

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