United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said that the Israeli bombing of Gaza, following the Hamas attack on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7, turned the miserable, impoverished and besieged Strip into “hell on earth.”
This came in an opinion article published by Martin Griffiths in the American newspaper The New York Times, entitled “World Leaders Have Failed Us.”
Griffiths said he had spent much of his career in or on the outskirts of war zones, but “nothing fully prepared me for the breadth and depth of human suffering I witnessed during my three years as UN Humanitarian Coordinator.”
Griffiths touched on the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, the Russian military operation in Ukraine, and the conflict in Sudan, before arriving at the war on Gaza.
In this regard, Griffiths said, “Then came the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7th on Israel, and the subsequent bombing of Gaza, which turned the poor Strip under siege into hell on earth. The Gaza Ministry of Health says that more than 37,000 people in Gaza were killed, and “Forcing almost the entire population to leave their homes, many of them multiple times.”
He added, “Delivering humanitarian aid to populations on the brink of famine has become almost impossible, while humanitarian and UN workers have been killed in unreasonable numbers.”
He continued: “This is precisely the situation that the modern world order, which emerged in the wake of World War II and was embodied with sincere ambition in the Charter of the United Nations, was intended to prevent. The suffering of millions of people is clear evidence of our failure.”
He added, “In essence, I do not believe that this failure lies with the United Nations. Ultimately, the value of the body is only as much as the commitment, effort, and resources made by its members.”
He explained, “I believe that this represents a failure of world leaders: they are failing humanity by breaking the agreement between ordinary people and those controlled by power.”
The flow of weapons into Israel
He also said, “The failure of leadership is also evident in the almost unconditional support that some countries provide to their allies in wartime, despite abundant evidence that it allows for widespread suffering and potential violations of international humanitarian law. You can see this particularly in Gaza, where lives are being threatened.” “Civilians and infrastructure suffered excessive damage.”
“And you can also see it in the obstruction and politicization of humanitarian aid, while hunger and disease spread and humanitarian workers, healthcare workers and journalists suffer unacceptable losses. We only have to look at the weapons that have continued to flow into Israel from the United States,” he added. And many other countries, despite the clearly horrific impact of war on civilians.”
At the conclusion of his article, Griffiths said, “As I prepare to step down after 3 years as head of the United Nations humanitarian effort, this is my call to leaders on behalf of the humanitarian community and all the people we serve: Put aside narrow interests, division, and conflict. Bring back humanity, cooperation, and people’s hopes for a better world.” And more equality at the heart of international relations.”
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