More than 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded while waiting in the morning to get food from two sites in Rafah and Middle Gaza run by the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to media reports.

The organization is backed by Israel and the United States and uses private US security contractors supervised by the Israeli military. Aid distributions began at the end of May, bypassing the UN and other humanitarian agencies.

Risking their lives

UN chief António Guterres issued a statement on Monday saying he was “appalled” by the reports.

“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said.

“I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”

He stressed that Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian aid. 

Allow UN operations

“The unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately,” he said.

“The UN must be allowed to work in safety and security under conditions of full respect of humanitarian principles.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate permanent, sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

“This is the only path to ensuring security for all. There is no military solution to the conflict,” he insisted.

Lift aid restrictions

The UN has repeatedly called for the full lifting of restrictions on aid and other essentials to meet the immense needs in the Gaza Strip, where more than two million people are at risk of famine following some 20 months of war and a near total three-month aid blockade.

Israel recently lifted the ban temporarily, allowing UN agencies to bring in limited quantities of baby formula, flour, medicines and other assistance through the Kerem Shalom border crossing until the GHF became operational.

The Secretary-General and other senior officials have repeatedly stated that the UN will not participate in any aid plan that does not respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality. 

Worsening conditions

The UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said on Monday that the situation on the ground continues to worsen by the day, pointing to the mass casualties at the two distribution sites as well as ongoing attacks against health facilities.

The Noura Al Kaabi Centre for dialysis in North Gaza was reportedly hit on Sunday, the agency said. Moreover, the Gaza health authorities report that 40 per cent of dialysis patients in the enclave have died since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023 because centres were either struck or unreachable.

New displacement order

“As hostilities continue, people have once again been forced to flee,” OCHA said.

On Saturday, Israel issued another displacement order in Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, affecting around 100,000 people living in more than 200 displacement sites. 

Humanitarians estimate that since 18 March, more than 640,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, or nearly a third of the population.

“The latest displacement order also deprived at least 8,000 students of learning, as tens of functioning temporary learning spaces and a dozen public schools had to suspend their operations,” OCHA added.

Child malnutrition and looting 

The UN and partners continue efforts to identify and treat malnutrition whenever possible and as dwindling supplies allow, distributing supplements to about 40,000 children last week despite severe challenges and restrictions on humanitarian assistance. 

Meanwhile, looting incidents continue to be reported amid the deprivation, hunger and lack of adequate food distribution.

“The vast majority are people taking flour directly from open trucks, out of clear desperation. However, humanitarian teams have also started observing some criminal looting again,” OCHA said.

Water woes persist

Gazans also continue to be plagued by frequent water shortages. For example, the pipeline in Deir Al-Balah, which supplied at least 12,000 cubic metres every day, is still not operational.

“Humanitarians’ attempts to carry out coordinated missions to repair it have been denied,” said OCHA, noting that on Monday, Israel also denied five missions to distribute potable water in displacement camps in Jabaliya, located in North Gaza.

Attempts to deliver aid

OCHA added that over the weekend, the UN and partners kept working to bring supplies through the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

More than 100 truckloads of food and medical supplies were picked up on Saturday and Sunday, bringing to more than 300 the number of truckloads collected from the Gaza side of the crossing since it was reopened.

“Today, one of our attempts to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom was denied. Another was still ongoing, awaiting a green light from Israeli authorities, a pause in the bombing along the route, and the allocation of a viable path,” the agency said.

OCHA stressed that “even when the crossing is open, severe restrictions on what humanitarians can bring in – both in terms of volume and variety – mean that the supplies currently entering Gaza are still just a trickle and fall far short of what people need.” 

Nigerian officials estimate that over 500 people are still missing and presumed dead, according to news reports.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian Government minister, said she was heartbroken at the extent of the loss and damage.

“My deepest condolences to all those affected – especially the families who have lost loved ones. My prayers are with you,” she said.

UN relief operation 

United Nations agencies and partners are working alongside the Nigerian Government to provide essential humanitarian aid to individuals and households in Niger State who have been affected.

Beginning 29 May, heavy rains in the Local Government Area of Mokwa – known as a trading hub – prompted flash flooding which flattened entire neighbourhoods.

Hundreds were killed, thousands displaced and key roads and bridges were damaged, disrupting movement and economic activity.

Nigeria’s rainy season extends from April-October, making it particularly prone to flooding, which has become more severe in recent years.

Climate change factor

In 2024, a flood in September killed 230 people in Borno state in eastern Nigeria and displaced over 600,000 people. In 2022, severe flooding across the country impacted 34 out of the 36 states, killed hundreds and displaced more than 1.3 million.

A recent report from the UN weather agency (WMO) said the worsening severity is related to climate change and increasing surface and water temperatures, all of which is taking a high toll throughout the African continent.

Agencies on the ground

According to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric Nigerian authorities are leading recovery efforts and UN agencies and partners are providing supplementary assistance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing to ship medicine and medical equipment to supplement and support existing primary care systems.

For their part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing materials for temporary shelter and other non-essential food items.

The UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) is working to establish temporary clinics and safe spaces for women and girls displaced by the flooding. In these spaces, women can access maternal and reproductive health services, dignity kits and psychosocial assistance. UNFPA is also working to deploy midwives and nurses.

Mohammed M. Malik Fall, resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, commended Government efforts to respond to the humanitarian situation in Mokwa and said that the UN “stands ready to support the response.”

Zeenat and her husband, Moamen Abu Asr, live with their children in a flimsy canvas tent, one of thousands that now line Gaza’s coastline. 

Once a place of rest and leisure, the beach has become a last refuge for Palestinians displaced by relentless Israeli bombardment and military operations.

As displacement orders push people into ever smaller pockets of land, the strip of coast around Gaza’s seaport has turned into a makeshift camp. Its frayed tents and overcrowded conditions reflect the gravity of a humanitarian crisis that has plunged to unprecedented depths after more than 600 days of conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas.

The seaport, once a centre of Gaza’s fishing economy, is now a wasteland. All the boats have been destroyed, and in their place stands a sprawling encampment – a harsh and barren environment with almost none of the basic necessities for survival.

A family with nothing left

Moamen and his family have been living in the camp for around two months, surviving in a tent cobbled together from salvaged mats and broken utensils recovered from nearby rubble.

He sits outside with his children, scrolling through pictures on his phone – fragments of a past life left behind in Shujaiya, east of Gaza City, when residents were ordered to evacuate without warning.

“There have been times when we’ve been displaced once every two months,” he told UN News. “Every day is suffering for us. We came to Gaza port with no food, no water – not even our iron tent.”

“There is nothing of life’s basics for us,” he said. To feed his family, Moamen repairs small water tanks for five shekels – about $1.43 – barely enough for anything in a place where prices have soared. “One kilo of flour is a hundred shekels [around $28.60],” he explained. “Our situation is very difficult, and we do not know what to do. By God, this is not life. We would rather die.”

Flies hover over one of the Abu Asr family’s sleeping children in their tent in Gaza.

‘We live on water’

The humanitarian situation has worsened since March, when Israeli authorities imposed a complete blockade on aid. Though this was slightly eased in recent weeks, the limited trickle of supplies cannot meet the overwhelming demand. Desperate civilians, starving and fearful, have resorted to looting whatever aid does arrive.

In their tent, Zeenat washes a few cooking utensils – all she could find in the communal makeshift kitchen. Most days, there is no food to prepare.

“Yesterday I cried a lot about my son,” she said. “He told me, ‘Mum, I want to eat.’ I stood helpless, not knowing what to do. The food didn’t come from the charity kitchen. We now live on fresh water. I recommend it to my children to help fill their stomachs. Today, thank God, we got a plate of food and ate it.”

Zeinat Abu Asr describes the hardship her family is facing in Gaza.

‘Enough is enough’

Conditions in the tent are dire. Flies swarm everywhere, and stray dogs – thin and hungry – prowl nearby. “Yesterday, a dog came into the tent and was pulling on a tarpaulin while my son was sleeping. I thought it was pulling my baby. I screamed and my husband kicked the dog out.”

“We don’t know where to go or what to do. They uprooted us. Our hearts are extinguished. We can’t be patient anymore. Our patience has run out.”

The tents scattered along Gaza’s coastline are a stark symbol of the deepening humanitarian tragedy. The cries of hunger are louder than any voice of hope. There is no shelter left – only the sea remains.

Nothing encapsulates the despair more than Zeenat’s final plea: “Let the war end. Give us a break. Otherwise, let all countries come together and drop a nuclear bomb on us and end our misery, because we are tired of this life. Enough is enough.”