North Gaza like 'dystopian horror film' — Norwegian NGO head

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) chief Jan Egeland warned the situation in northern Gaza strip has deteriorated to a dramatic degree, saying it resembled a a "dystopian horror film."

In an interview with the Die Zeit daily that was published in German, Egeland recounted his recent visit to Gaza, saying the situation has gotten "much worse" compared to his prevous trip in February.

"In Gaza City, we drove through endless areas of completely destroyed houses," Egeland said, adding that some refugees from the north of the region were now living in "those piles of rubble."

Israel has said that its operations in the beleaguered north of Gaza are necessary to stop Hamas from regrouping. 

The Israeli army said that a number of terrorists have been killed, positions destroyed and weapons caches dug up, as a result of its operations in Rafah and in the northern refugee districts of Jabaliya and Beit Lahia.

Looters target aid trucks

Egeland told Die Zeit that the deterioration of law and order has affected the delivery of any humanitarian aid that makes it into the territory.

"If trucks manage to cross the Gaza Strip, they often don't make it far and are attacked by looters on the roads that the Israeli authorities assign to us," Egeland said.

At the Kerem Shalom border crossing near the town of Rafah in southern Gaza, the NRC chief saw it happen firsthand.

"Maybe 100 men were standing there with sticks, waiting to stop the trucks that were coming behind us, and to jump on them," he added.

Ban on UNRWA would hurt NRC operations

This weekend, a UN-backed assessment warned that famine was imminent in northern Gaza, adding that at least 100,000 people have had to flee the harsh conditions.

Egeland said he feared for the potential ban of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the main UN agency helping Palestinians in the Middle East, including in Gaza. 

Israel's parliament recently approved a law that banned its activities on Israeli territory, accusing the organization of supporting Hamas and terrorism.

"Many refugees and displaced persons live in the schools run by the aid organization, which we in turn provide for," Egeland said of UNRWA, adding that NRC can and will try to organize its aid through other NGOs.

"But many other things will simply collapse and make our work more difficult," he concluded.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic