Gaza faced with widespread diseases and inevitable hunger

On Thursday, UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said that widespread outbreaks of disease and hunger seemed "inevitable" in Gaza after weeks of Israeli assault on the densely populated Palestinian enclave.

Speaking at an informal briefing to states at the UN in Geneva after visiting the Middle East, Turk said the depletion of fuel would have a "catastrophic" impact across Gaza. He added that it would lead to the collapse of sewage systems, healthcare and end the scarce humanitarian aid being supplied.

The World Health Organization also warned of "worrying trends" in disease spread in Gaza, saying there had been an unusually large number of cases of diarrheal in the enclave, where bombardments and a ground operation have disrupted the health system, access to clean water and caused people to crowd into shelters.