In a harrowing testament to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, UN officials have reported that their own aid workers are collapsing from hunger and exhaustion while attempting to deliver critical supplies in the region. The dire situation, highlighted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), illustrates the perilous conditions under which humanitarian workers are operating, with personnel fainting during their duties due to severe food shortages.

Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for UNRWA, described the extreme challenges faced by medical staff and journalists, stating that "seeking food has become as deadly as the bombardments." This alarming condition is further evidenced by a report from the UN Human Rights Office, which documented over 1,000 Palestinian civilians killed while trying to access food aid since late May.

The crisis is exacerbated by a sharp increase in the cost of essential commodities. Flour, a staple in the Palestinian diet, now costs up to $200, putting an immense financial burden on displaced families. Concurrently, recent military actions have severely impacted humanitarian operations. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that its compound in Deir Al-Balah was attacked and raided, leading to the detention of its staff and significant damage to medical supplies, crippling Gaza's health system which is now functioning at a mere 6 percent capacity.

The continuous targeting of civilian and humanitarian infrastructure has raised significant international concern. Last year, artillery shelling damaged the last functioning flour mill in Gaza, exacerbating the food crisis. The International Court of Justice has acknowledged the use of starvation tactics in the region, ordering Israel to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid.

Starvation as a method of warfare is strictly prohibited under international law, including Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions and Article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Despite these regulations, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, prompting urgent calls for increased international intervention to prevent what some experts are calling "a genocide in the making."

The plight of the Palestinian people and the extreme conditions faced by humanitarian workers in Gaza serve as a grim reminder of the ongoing conflict's devastating impact on human lives. International bodies and human rights organizations continue to demand immediate action to safeguard civilians and ensure the unimpeded delivery of aid to those in dire need.