UN official says average Gazan living on two pieces of bread a day, scarce water
United Nations (AP): The average Gazan is living on two pieces of Arabic bread made from flour the UN had stockpiled in the region, yet the main refrain now being heard in the street is "Water, water," the Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday.
Thomas White, who said he travelled "the length and breadth of Gaza in the last few weeks," described the place as a "scene of death and destruction." No place is safe now, he said, and people fear for their lives, their future and their ability to feed their families.
The Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, is supporting about 89 bakeries across Gaza, aiming to get bread to 1.7 million people, White told diplomats from the UN's 193 member nations in a video briefing from Gaza.
But, he said, "now people are beyond looking for bread. It's looking for water."
UN deputy Mideast coordinator Lynn Hastings, who is also the humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said only one of three water supply lines from Israel is operational.
"Many people are relying on brackish or saline ground water, if at all," she said.
In the briefing, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths also said intense negotiations are taking place among authorities from Israel, Egypt, the United States and United Nations on allowing fuel to enter Gaza.
Fuel, he said, is essential for the functioning of institutions, hospitals and the distribution of water and electricity. "We must allow these supplies reliably, repetitively and dependently into Gaza."
Backup generators, which have been essential to keep hospitals, water desalination plants, food production facilities and other essential services operating "are one by one grinding to a halt as fuel supplies run out," Hastings said.
White pointed to other major problems.
Sewage is not being treated and instead is being pumped into the sea, he said. "But when you speak to municipal workers, the reality is once their fuel runs out, that sewage will flow in the streets."
In addition, he said, cooking gas that was brought into Gaza from Egypt by the private sector before the war is increasingly in short supply. Aid organisations like UNRWA "are not going to be able to step in and replicate the network of distribution by the private sector for this essential item," he said.
White said close to 600,000 people are sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities, most of them schools, but the agency has lost contact with many in the north, where Israel is carrying intense ground and air operations following Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attacks.
An average of 4,000 displaced Gazans are living in the schools without the resources to maintain proper sanitation, he said. "The conditions are desperate," with women and children sleeping in the classrooms" and men sleeping outside in the open, he said.
The UN can't provide them safety, White said, pointing to over 50 UNRWA facilities impacted by the conflict, including five direct hits. "At last count, 38 people have died in our shelters. I fear that with the fighting going on in the north right now, that number is going to grow significantly," he said.
Griffiths, the humanitarian chief, said 72 UNRWA staff members had been killed since Oct 7. "I think it's the highest number of UN staff lost in a conflict," he said.
The Gaza Health Ministry's total of more than 9,000 people killed in Gaza is four times as many deaths as during the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in 2014 when just over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, Griffiths said. He added that the real toll will only emerge once buildings are cleared and rubble is taken away.
Griffiths called for humanitarian pauses to get aid to millions of people. He also urged the immediate release of all hostages and protection of all civilians by both sides as required under international humanitarian law.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, criticised Griffiths for talking about humanitarian pauses, something the United States is also urging.
This means "Israel continues killing the Palestinians, but gives us few hours every now and then, in order to get food and other stuff," Mansour said.
He said a ceasefire is essential to save lives, saying that "almost 50 per cent of all the structures in the Gaza Strip" have been destroyed by Israel and the situation for Palestinians "is beyond comprehension and beyond description."
"It requires from all of us to do everything that we can to stop it," he said.
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Noida workers' protest turns violent; govt steps in, political blame game erupts
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Noida/Lucknow (PTI): Vehicles, including police SUVs, were torched, public property vandalised, and stone-pelting reported from industrial hubs in Noida on Monday as protests by factory workers demanding a wage hike turned violent, paralysing traffic.
The Uttar Pradesh Police used mild force to disperse the agitators and later registered FIRs against two X handles, charging them with spreading rumours linked to the unrest. The state government also formed a special panel to address the crisis.
Violence was first reported in afternoon, with sporadic stone-pelting and vandalism continuing till 5 pm. No major incidents of arson or violence were reported thereafter, officials said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured support to the worker community and said Uttar Pradesh was progressing steadily, but "some people were conspiring to obstruct its growth". His remarks drew sharp criticism from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who flagged an intelligence failure and said the CM should step down if unable to handle the state.
The unrest, which began in the morning, left thousands of commuters stranded on key routes leading to Delhi during peak hours. Long queues of vehicles stretching several kilometres were reported at the Delhi-Noida border, with major congestion at Sector 62, National Highway-24, Sector 63 and the Chilla border. Protesters blocked key routes, including stretches connecting Sector 62 to Sector 16 and NH-9.
Officials said a large number of workers from industrial units in Phase-2 and Sector 60 gathered to press for long-pending wage revision demands and raised slogans.
Similar protests were reported from Sector 62 and Sector 84, including at a Motherson company unit. NH-9, a key link between Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh, was also blocked.
The protests soon escalated, with some protesters torching vehicles, vandalising property and pelting stones.
Officials said workers had been mobilising support for their demands on a wage hike and better working conditions in factories over the last two days. However, it was not clear what sparked the violence during the protest.
Heavy deployment was rushed to affected areas, while senior administrative and police officials remained on the ground to monitor the situation.
"The situation is under control and being continuously monitored. Efforts are being made to counsel the workers and maintain peace. Minimum force is being used wherever necessary to maintain law and order," police said, urging people not to pay heed to rumours.
The protests triggered widespread traffic snarls across Noida and Greater Noida. Traffic police said diversions were put in place and movement was gradually being restored at key points, including the Chilla border and the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.
Commuters narrated their ordeal, with an office-goer, Prashant Shukla, saying he was stuck at the DND flyover for hours. "Vehicles were not able to move due to heavy traffic jams caused by the workers' protest. It took me nearly two hours to reach the office," he said.
Workers cited low wages and poor working conditions as the reason for the protest.
Gautam Buddh Nagar Additional Labour Commissioner Rakesh Dwivedi said workers are demanding a wage increase similar to what the Haryana government has given. "Besides, there are other issues as well, like overtime and food," he said.
A protester said that despite working 12-hour shifts, workers earn between Rs 11,000 and Rs 15,000, making it difficult to sustain a household. Another protester, Nakul Singh, alleged that companies were not paying overtime in accordance with norms.
A woman worker alleged irregularities in wage payments, saying workers are often made to sign for double shifts while being paid for a single duty. "Working conditions are often very difficult and need improvement," she said.
Another woman protester said, "Everything is becoming expensive, but our salaries remain around Rs 11,000-12,000. They should be increased to at least Rs 20,000-25,000."
The violence came a day after the state government announced measures to strengthen labour welfare, including mandatory double overtime pay, weekly offs and timely wages.
As the situation escalated, the chief minister, speaking at an event in Muzaffarnagar, assured workers of government support and urged them to maintain peace.
"I appeal to all the personnel employed in industrial units, as well as to the workers working with them, to recall how this 'double-engine' government stood by your side, something which you witnessed firsthand during the Covid period," he said.
Adityanath also cautioned workers against those trying to incite unrest.
"Do not let them succeed," he said, adding that "the government stands firmly with the workers and will provide security to entrepreneurs while simultaneously offering protection to every single worker."
He said the government is moving towards ensuring minimum honorarium and social security for workers and urged industrialists to maintain direct dialogue with employees.
Meanwhile, the state government constituted a high-powered committee to address the crisis and ensure coordination between workers, industry and administration.
Officials said the panel, comprising senior bureaucrats and representatives of workers' organisations and industry bodies, has reached Noida and will submit recommendations on priority.
"A thorough probe will also be conducted into any attempts by vested interests or political motives to disturb the atmosphere. Anarchy will not be allowed in UP, and appropriate solutions to the problems will be worked out," officials said.
The developments also triggered sharp political reactions.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted the chief minister over remarks linking the protests to a conspiracy.
"If the honourable chief minister is calling the Noida workers' movement a conspiracy, was your intelligence police accompanying you during campaigning in Bengal?" Yadav said in a post on X.
"...If you can't manage the state, then step down -- otherwise, the public will throw you out," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister added.
He further alleged that inflation and "commission-driven dealings" had worsened the condition of families and said, "The BJP's double engine has turned into a trouble engine for the public."
UP Congress chief Ajay Rai also criticised the government, calling visuals from the protest sites "disturbing".
"When inflation is breaking people's backs, and workers are being exploited in the name of wages, the youth will be forced to come out on the streets," Rai said.
"Advertisements cannot fill empty stomachs. Tear gas shells cannot answer hunger. Stop ignoring the legitimate demands of workers and find a solution instead of resorting to repression," he added.
Amid the unrest, UP Police stepped up monitoring and warned of strict action against those behind the violence.
Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna said "provocative elements" and "external elements" are being identified.
"Firm legal action will follow once their identities are established," he said, adding that the situation is under constant surveillance from the police headquarters.
Police said adequate deployment has been made across industrial zones, with PAC, paramilitary forces and senior officers stationed at key locations.
Authorities reiterated that the situation is under control and efforts are underway to restore normalcy, while urging people not to believe rumours.
Noida Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh and District Magistrate Medha Roopam also inspected the violence spots, according to officials.
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