Escalating Crisis in Gaza: UN Describes Cataclysmic Situation as Israel Advances

Tue Oct 14 2025 10:10:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As Israeli forces push forward in a major offensive, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza City intensifies. UN officials warn of catastrophic conditions with hospitals overwhelmed and mass civilian displacement.

A UN spokesperson has described the situation in Gaza City as 'cataclysmic', emphasizing the dire humanitarian crisis influenced by ongoing Israeli military actions. Thousands are evacuating southward, but many are unable to escape, with hospitals overwhelmed and essentials in short supply. The Israeli offensive claims to target Hamas infrastructure, yet it faces international condemnation due to the severe impact on civilians.

The situation in Gaza City is 'nothing short of cataclysmic', a UN official has told the BBC, as Israeli tanks and troops continue to advance on the third day of a ground offensive.

Olga Cherevko, a spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian office, said she had seen a constant stream of Palestinians heading south during a recent visit to the city, but that hundreds of thousands remained.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that overwhelmed hospitals were on the brink of collapse because it was being prevented from delivering lifesaving supplies.

The Israeli military said its forces were 'dismantling terror infrastructure and eliminating terrorists' in Gaza City.

It has said its objectives are to free the hostages still held by Hamas and defeat up to 3,000 fighters in what it has described as the group's 'main stronghold'.

However, the offensive on Gaza's biggest urban area, where one million people were living and a famine was confirmed last month, has drawn widespread international condemnation.

The UN and its humanitarian partners have recorded at least 200,000 people crossing from northern to southern Gaza since mid-August, when Israel announced its intention to conquer Gaza City. Around 55,000 have made the journey since Sunday.

On Thursday morning, witnesses reported seeing Israeli tanks in the northern Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and the southern neighborhood of Tal al-Hawa, which have come under heavy bombardment in recent days. Local hospitals confirmed at least 14 people had been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

The WHO's chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed grave concerns about the situation, highlighting that the injured and people with disabilities can't access safety and are facing significant danger. Hospitals are currently dealing with occupancy rates far beyond capacity, leading to dire conditions for the 2.1 million residents of Gaza.

The crisis is exacerbated as displaced families often find themselves sleeping on the roadside, with widespread reports indicating that many people have no shelter or adequate resources for survival. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped within the conflict zone, unable to safely relocate.