Title: Over Half a Million People in Gaza Face Catastrophic Levels of Deprivation and Starvation: UN
The United Nations (UN) agencies have issued a stark warning that over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 576,000 people across Gaza are experiencing extreme food insecurity and are at risk of famine. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) added that there is a real prospect of famine by May, with approximately 500,000 people at imminent risk.
The situation in Gaza is dire. Food aid is required by almost the entire population of 2.2 million people. According to Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director, one child in every six under the age of 2 is acutely malnourished. Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Skau emphasized that immediate action is required to enable a massive increase in food and other humanitarian supplies.
Food shortages have caused desperation among citizens, with instances of looting of food aid trucks in some areas, hindering delivery efforts. Hospitals in Gaza are operating without electricity, water, or adequate medical supplies. The situation is particularly critical at the Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza and the Al-Awda Health and Community Association’s hospital in northern Gaza, which cannot carry out medical services due to a lack of supplies.
Israeli officials are working on a way to get aid into northern Gaza “quickly.” However, only 85 trucks a day were able to enter through the Rafah crossing last week, down from 500 before the conflict began. US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power announced that the United States will provide an additional $53 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Israeli, Hamas, and Qatari officials have expressed caution regarding US President Joe Biden’s optimism that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict could be reached by the end of this week, suggesting that significant differences remain among negotiators.
Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza declined by 50% in February compared to January due to a lack of political will, regular closing of crossing points, and the collapse of civil order. Israeli protesters have blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. The World Food Programme paused aid deliveries to northern Gaza due to complete chaos and violence caused by the collapse of civil order in the area.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and his government have submitted their resignations as the PA comes under pressure to reform and improve its governance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The US favors a reformed PA being in control of both the West Bank and Gaza as part of a future independent state.
The Israeli military has submitted a plan to evacuate the population from areas of fighting in Gaza, specifically focusing on Rafah. Fears are growing over an offensive on the southern city, which houses a significant number of displaced Palestinians with no further place to escape. The US has warned it will not support such an offensive without a credible plan to evacuate civilians.
The international community must take urgent action to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is veering towards catastrophe. The world cannot afford to stand idly by and watch as another potential famine unfolds before our eyes. Immediate action is required to ensure that lifesaving aid reaches those in need, and political efforts must be redoubled to bring an end to the conflict and secure a sustainable peace for the people of Gaza.
