A UN spokesperson had been the latest personality to have given the victims of the war in Gaza a face. United Nations Relief And Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesperson Chris Gunness was interviewed by Al Jazeera Arabic during a live broadcast regarding a recent air strike launched by Israel that had struck a UN refugee school in Gaza on Wednesday morning, Buzzfeed reported.
As he described to the anchor about the incident at the school in the Jabaliya camp that had left at least 13 casualties, Gunnes broke down on camera, and was obviously distraught that the camera had to pan to the left to cut the interview short.
In the video made available on YouTube, Gunness was visibly somber when he talked about the incident. A few seconds after speaking, he stopped short that tried to compose himself, to no success. His face later crumpled, sobbing and crying loudly as another person went to his right side and comforted him.
The video may have been short, but it easily made a lasting impression on how harrowing the conflict in Gaza was.
When he was contacted by Buzzfeed, Gunness said from Jerusalem that his agency is "completely underwhelmed" and "at a breaking point." He also mentioned that UNRWA has lost five colleagues in the fighting.
The United Nations and other humanitarian aid groups are often spared in conflicts, according to the laws of war. This is so in order for UN and the others to be able to fulfill their duties, which is oftentimes to tend to the victims caught in the conflict. Humanitarian aid groups provide medical aid, basic necessities, and most importantly, hope for the victims of the conflict.
The Israeli army absolved itself from the UN school bombing, and has claimed that they fired back in retaliation when Hamas militants fired near the school. Buzzfeed cited that under international law, an attack on a UN facility or using one to store weapons is considered illegal.
As a true agent of hope, Gunness told the viral news site that regardless of his feelings towards the Gaza conflict, he has a duty to fulfill.
"My feelings pale into insignificance compared to the enormity of the tragedy confronting each and every other person in Gaza at this time. It's important to humanize the statistics and to realize that there is a human bing with a heart and soul behind each statistic and that the humanity that lies behind these statistics should never be forgotten," he said.
Since July 8, at least 1,300 Palestinians, majority of them civilians and children, and over 50 Israeli soldiers have died from the conflict.
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