Martin Griffiths (Al Jazeera)

Statement by Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

With the G20 meeting in Brazil this week, the reported death toll in the Gaza hostilities is approaching 30,000. I hope this will give the foreign ministers gathered at the Rio de Janeiro resort a reason to think about what their countries have done or not done to put an end to this.

Miserable failure

The statement that the war in Gaza knows no mercy or compassion and is an example of abject humanitarian failure is nothing new. There is no need to restate the obvious. Instead, let me - on behalf of my humanitarian colleagues - warn you not just about today, but about what I fear for tomorrow.

What has unfolded in Gaza over the past 137 days is unparalleled in its intensity, cruelty and scope. Tens of thousands of people were killed, injured or buried under rubble. Entire neighborhoods were razed to the ground. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, and are now living in the most miserable conditions due to the onset of winter.

Half a million people are on the brink of famine. There is no access to the most basic needs: food, water, health care and toilets. An entire people is being stripped of their humanity.

The horrors befalling the people of Gaza – and the human tragedy they endure – are there for the world to see, documented by the brave Palestinian journalists, more than a few of whom were killed while documenting them. No one can pretend that he does not know.

No one can pretend that they do not also know that humanitarian agencies are doing their best: nearly 160 of our colleagues have died, and yet our teams continue to provide food, medical supplies and safe drinking water. We are doing our best, despite security risks, breakdowns in law and order, access restrictions and personal tragedies. Despite cutting off funding to the largest UN organization in Gaza, and despite the deliberate attempts aimed at distorting our reputation.

Reasonable plan

The humanitarian community I represent has just released a plan outlining what we need to increase the flow of aid into and throughout Gaza. Nothing in this plan is unreasonable: security guarantees. A better system for reporting humanitarian aid flights. and communications equipment. and removing unexploded ordnance. And use all possible crossings.

But although I have often said that hope is a humanitarian's kit and gear, I have little hope that the authorities will give us what we need to do our work. I want nothing more than to be proven wrong.

We know without a shadow of a doubt that humanitarian agencies will be blamed – and are already being blamed – for the lack of aid in Gaza, despite the courage, commitment and sacrifice of all our staff there.

But make no mistake: the deprivation to which people in Gaza are subjected is so severe that no amount of aid can suffice.

The challenges we face at every step along this path are so enormous that we can only provide the bare minimum.

Futile pleas

The October 7 attacks on Israel are horrific – I have condemned them repeatedly and will not relent. But these attacks cannot justify what is happening to every child, woman and man in Gaza.

So my message to the G20 foreign ministers this week is clear: we have been appealing to Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, to facilitate the delivery of aid – but to no avail.

We have been calling for all hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally - but to no avail.

We have been urging the parties to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law – but to no avail.

We were calling on the countries that stopped funding UNRWA to reverse their decision - but to no avail.

Today, we call on you - the G20 member states - to use your leadership and political influence to help end this war and save the lives of people in Gaza. In your hands is the power that enables you to make a tangible difference.

Your silence and lack of action will only result in more women and children being thrown into Gaza's open graves.

Humanitarian agencies are doing everything they can. Are you like that?

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.