New York, January 11 (QNA) - Director of Communications at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Jonathan Fowler warned of the risks posed by new restrictions imposed by Israel on the registration of international organizations operating in the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, Fowler said that the Gaza Strip currently needs an expansion of humanitarian assistance, not the imposition of additional restrictions.

He pointed out that the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic despite the ceasefire agreement, as Palestinians continue to be killed, aid remains insufficient, and suffering continues to intensify. Fowler said humanitarian conditions in the Strip are worsening, particularly as residents face winter storms and the spread of respiratory illnesses due to cold weather.

He stressed that children are the most affected in Gaza, noting that the Strip is witnessing the highest rates of limb loss among children worldwide.

Fowler added that UNRWA has continued to provide educational and psychosocial support since October 2023; however, such assistance remains insufficient to address the long-term damage.

Regarding restrictions on the registration of organizations, Fowler said they further complicate humanitarian operations, stressing that international law obliges Israel to facilitate such operations. He emphasized that Gaza is not Israeli land, but part of the occupied Palestinian Territory.

He cadded that Gaza urgently needs increased humanitarian assistance at this stage, as had been expected with the start of the ceasefire.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced earlier today that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 71,412 martyrs, in addition171,314 wounded, while a number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them at this time. (QNA)