18 October 2025
UN aid chief fears ‘massive task’ in devastated Gaza
UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team were in Gaza on Saturday to get a first-hand account of the situation on the ground.
Speaking after his convoy arrived at a waste water treatment facility in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City, Fletcher spoke about the important task of restoring Gaza after two years of war.
“I passed here seven to eight months ago, when most of these buildings were still standing, and to see the devastation – it’s a huge part of the city … just a wasteland – it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP.
Earlier on Saturday, Fletcher posted a photo of a UN vehicle amid the Gaza destruction, writing, “Amidst the practical work of saving lives, we are also bearing witness.”
Surveying the ruins of damaged pumping equipment that had become a lake of raw sewage at the Sheikh Radwan plant, Fletcher called the task “a huge task” for the United Nations and international aid agencies.
During his tour, Fletcher said he met local people who were trying to find their own sanitation solutions. “They’re telling me what they want most is respect. We have to get the power back so we can start getting the sanitation system back,” Fletcher said.
Most of the cities of the Gaza Strip – one of the most densely populated places on Earth – have been reduced to rubble. And most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
Although international humanitarian agencies are prepared to provide assistance, the situation has not allowed them to do so on a large scale. The main border with Egypt remains closed a week after the ceasefire, and Israel has vowed it will remain so.
The United Nations has urged Israel to open all border crossings into the Palestinian territory, warning that it will take time to alleviate famine in parts of Gaza.
“We now have a big 60-day plan to ramp up food, provide a million meals a day, start rebuilding the health sector, get tents out for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back in school,” Fletcher said.
Although hundreds of trucks enter Gaza every day, humanitarian organizations say much more aid is needed to deal with the situation.