Situation in Gaza 'probably worse even than we can see': Top UN humanitarian official

Griffiths explained that he "respectfully disagreed" with Israeli President Isaac Herzog's claim that the international community has not been sending the 400 trucks of humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip that Israel is able to screen every day. 

Asked about Israel's reaction to the October 7 Hamas attacks, Griffiths warned that "to try to eradicate – or whatever word you like to use – eliminate, remove, disarm a group like Hamas as a part of the fabric of society in Gaza in the way that it is being proposed, is simply an enormously difficult and unlikely-to-be-achieved task".

"I'd love to know what the plan is for these many, many Gazans," he said. "Where are they supposed to live? And who is developing the plans for governance for Gaza, which are so important?"

Meanwhile in Yemen, the Houthi rebels are targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, which has led the US and several allies to strike targets in Yemen. 

Watch more Attacks in the Red Sea: After US-UK strikes, what next for Yemen?

For Griffiths, who was once the UN envoy to Yemen, "the first victims" of this escalation are the people of Yemen. He pointed out that the country has seen the world's largest humanitarian operation in terms of the percentage of people needing aid. 

"There is a natural tendency to reach for the gun in response to crisis," he said. "We see this in Yemen."

Over in Sudan, people "are dying in silence, outside our screens", Griffiths warned when asked about the humanitarian situation there. Civil war has raged on for nine months, resulting in 7 million people being displaced.

Sudan is "a huge worry for us", he said, regretting that the situation is "rarely given international attention because of Ukraine, now