In the midst of the escalating Israel-Palestine crisis, the death toll in Gaza is rapidly approaching the grim milestone of 9,000, with mounting concerns about the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on a densely-populated refugee camp near Gaza City. As the ground war intensifies, the situation is becoming increasingly dire, with a key hospital forced to stop operations and UN humanitarian efforts paralyzed in the north.

According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, a staggering 8,805 Palestinians have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict on 7 October. Among the victims are at least 3,648 children and 2,187 women, while a total of 22,240 people have been injured, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The continued Israeli ground operations and bombardments in northern Gaza have resulted in what OCHA describes as "among the deadliest incidents" of heavy airstrikes on the Jabalia Refugee Camp. These airstrikes have taken place for two consecutive days, with multiple residential buildings destroyed and dozens of casualties reported.

Amidst the chaos, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, Gaza's main cancer treatment center, has run out of fuel and been forced to halt most of its activities. This unfortunate development puts the lives of approximately 70 patients in danger, according to OCHA. Further exacerbating the healthcare crisis, the Al Hilo Hospital in Gaza City, which had taken over the maternity ward of another hospital to treat the wounded, was reportedly struck by shelling on Wednesday night.

With 14 out of 35 hospitals across Gaza currently non-operational, the World Health Organization (WHO) has vowed to do everything possible to ensure that all people in Gaza can access life-saving health and humanitarian services. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the immense challenges faced in the current situation, stressing there can be "no justification" for the terror attacks by Hamas.

Additionally, the Israeli ground operations have effectively cut off Gaza city and the northern region from the rest of the strip. As a consequence, the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the approximately 300,000 internally displaced persons in the north has come to a halt, leaving them in a vulnerable and desperate situation.

Despite some limited aid deliveries through the Rafah crossing on the southern border with Egypt, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has emphasized that the current aid efforts are far from sufficient. The entry of essential fuel for hospitals, ambulances, and water desalination plants remains banned by Israeli authorities, compounding the already dire circumstances.

In response to these challenges, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the movement of people and humanitarian assistance through the Rafah crossing but underlined the urgent need for a regular and sustained flow of aid to meet the growing needs of the Palestinian population.

As the crisis continues to unfold, the UN remains dedicated to working closely with all parties involved to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable inhabitants of Gaza. However, the scale of destruction and loss of life in Jabalia refugee camp and the halt in aid deliveries to the north underscore the pressing need for immediate action and a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine crisis.