UN official bemoans 'endless' suffering in Gaza after renewed Israeli strikes

By AFP - Mar 20,2025 - Last updated at Mar 20,2025

Palestinians ride vehicles with their belongings as they flee from the northern Gaza Strip toward the south, via the Salah al-Din road near the Nusseirat refugee camp today (AFP photo)

OCUPPIED JERUSALEM — The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees [UNRWA] said Thursday there were fears "the worst is yet to come" in Gaza, denouncing "endless" suffering after Israel renewed deadly air and ground operations.

"Israeli Forces bombardment continues from air & sea for the third day," Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

"We fear that the worst is yet to come given the ongoing ground invasion separating the north from the south".

Israel announced renewed ground operations in Gaza on Wednesday and issued what it called a "last warning" to residents of the territory to return hostages and remove Hamas from power.

Heavy air strikes began pounding Gaza early on Tuesday, killing at least 504 people including more than 190 children, according to the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run territory.

Gaza rescuers said at least 10 more people were killed in a pre-dawn bombing near Khan Yunis on Thursday.

"Under our daily watch, people in Gaza are again & again going through their worst nightmare," Lazzarini wrote, condemning an "endless unleashing of the most inhumane ordeals."

The Israeli army said on Thursday it had banned traffic on the Palestinian territory's main north-to-south artery.

"Evacuation orders forcing people to flee were issued impacting tens of thousands of people," Lazzarini said, adding that "the vast majority have been already displaced, treated like 'pinballs' since the war began nearly 1.5 years ago."

Israel's renewed offensive shattered a relative calm in Gaza that had pervaded since a fragile truce took hold in mid-January.

The UNRWA chief also decried Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza which has been in place since early March.

"No time left, we need now: a renewal of the ceasefire, a dignified release of all the hostages in Gaza, an unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid & commercial supplies," he said.

The first stage of the Gaza ceasefire, which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting, expired early this month amid deadlock over next steps.

Israel rejected negotiations for a promised second stage, calling instead for the return of all of its remaining hostages under an extended first stage.

That would have meant delaying talks on a lasting ceasefire, and was rejected by Hamas as an attempt to renegotiate the original deal.