The top United Nations humanitarian official in the occupied Palestinian territory has delivered a stark warning about the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, describing the situation as “the erasure of Palestinian life” amid growing international indifference.

Speaking from Deir al-Balah on Sunday, Jonathan Whittall, head of OCHA’s office in Palestine, condemned the systematic use of starvation, displacement, and bombardment against civilians. “This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is a calculated collapse,” he said. “People are being killed for trying to eat.”

Since the limited easing of the aid blockade over a month ago, more than 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed while attempting to reach food distribution points, many of which were deliberately placed in militarised zones coordinated by Israeli and U.S. forces. According to Whittall, Israeli troops have repeatedly opened fire on aid seekers, while armed gangs operate near Israeli positions, further endangering civilians.

Aid convoys are blocked, humanitarian routes sabotaged, and basic supplies restricted. “Children queue for water that may never come. Families flee with nothing. We have nothing left to give them,” Whittall said. Gaza’s population has been crammed into a fraction of the territory, while hospitals ration fuel to delay total shutdown.

Despite these conditions, Israeli forces continue air and ground operations with what Whittall called “shameful disregard for international law.” The destruction, he stressed, is not accidental, it is engineered. “These are conditions created for killing,” he said.

Israel, as the occupying power, bears full legal responsibility. Yet, as the siege tightens, global institutions hesitate. “Not enough is being done to prevent genocide,” he said, reiterating OCHA’s call for a permanent ceasefire and meaningful international pressure. “Inaction,” he concluded, “is complicity, measured in Palestinian lives.”