The United Nations has warned that many more Palestinians will die due to catastrophic shortages of food, water and medicine, as Israel’s nonstop bombardment of the Gaza Strip entered its 21st day. Earlier today Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees, known as UNRWA, warned his agency’s operations are crumbling as Gazans starve. He called Israel’s siege “collective punishment” of more than 2 million people — a majority of them women and children. And he said the mere 84 aid trucks that Israel has so far allowed to cross into Gaza is totally inadequate to address the needs of the population.

Philippe Lazzarini: “These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference for the 2 million people in the street. We should avoid conveying the message that a few trucks a day means the siege is lifted for humanitarian aid. This is not true.”