Gaza onslaught 'betrayal of humanity', UN humanitarian chief says, after six months of Israel war

Israel's brutal war in Gaza has escalated into a "betrayal of humanity", the United Nations' humanitarian chief said Saturday.

In a statement on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the war, Martin Griffiths, the outgoing under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, called for a "collective determination that there be a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity."

"Each day, this war claims more civilian victims," said Griffiths, who will leave his post at the end of June due to health reasons.

"Every second that it continues sows the seeds of a future so deeply obscured by this relentless conflict."

Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory by air, land and sea since October 7, killing at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza, where a famine is also imminent.

Israel's atrocities have been described as war crimes, with South Africa accusing Tel Aviv of carrying out a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), back in December.

Calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza have also grown internationally, with many world leaders condemning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for waging the war in the territory.

Griffiths lamented "the unconscionable prospect of further escalation in Gaza, where no one is safe and there is nowhere safe to go."

He added that "an already fragile aid operation continues to be undermined by bombardments, insecurity and denials of access."

"On this day, my heart goes out to the families of those killed, injured or taken hostage, and to those who face the particular suffering of not knowing the plight of their loved ones," he said in the statement.