UN Chief Warns Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Has Reached "Beyond Imagination" Levels

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated to catastrophic proportions as the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that conditions have reached levels "beyond imagination." Speaking to the Security Council, Guterres urged immediate action toward achieving a two-state solution, emphasizing that "the world cannot afford to watch the two-State solution disappear."

According to the latest reports, no humanitarian aid or supplies have entered the Gaza Strip for nearly two months, since March 2, 2025, when Israeli authorities imposed a complete blockade. This siege is three times longer than the one imposed when the war began in October 2023, resulting in rapidly depleting critical supplies including food, fuel, medicine, and vaccines for children.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported devastating casualties since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. As of April 22, 2025, at least 52,400 Palestinians have been killed and 118,014 injured. Among the documented fatalities are 15,613 children, 8,304 women, 3,839 elderly, and 22,265 men. Particularly heartbreaking is the fact that 825 children under 12 months of age have been killed, with 274 children born and killed during the escalation.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has also suffered tremendous losses, with over 290 team members killed since the conflict began. Despite these challenges, UNRWA provided nearly 8.1 million medical consultations across Gaza between October 2023 and April 2025.

Humanitarian access remains severely restricted. Of the 44 planned aid movements coordinated with Israeli authorities from April 23-29, 2025, only 17 were facilitated, while 22 were denied, four impeded, and one cancelled. The situation has deteriorated further since the collapse of the ceasefire on March 17-18, 2025, with intense military activities causing hundreds more civilian casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and new waves of forced displacement.