Date: Sunday, November 10, 2024
Category: International
New York (United Nations) – Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), has issued a dire warning of a potential famine in northern Gaza, which has been enduring continuous ethnic cleansing and devastation for over a month.
Lazzarini stated in a recent release, “Sadly, this does not come as a surprise. Famine is likely to strike northern Gaza.” He emphasized that Israel is “weaponizing hunger,” deliberately depriving Gaza’s residents of essentials, including food necessary for survival.
According to Lazzarini, humanitarian aid entering Gaza falls drastically short, with an average of slightly over 30 trucks per day – covering merely about 6% of Palestinians’ daily needs. He called for urgent action, including “a political will to increase the flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies to Gaza, alongside policy decisions to permit regular, uninterrupted access for convoys into northern Gaza.”
He further called for “political determination to address and eliminate the hunger crisis,” adding, “It is not too late.”
On Friday, a report from the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (a team of top international experts on food security, nutrition, and mortality) warned of a “strong likelihood of imminent famine in northern Gaza,” as Israeli forces continue their operations in the area. The committee’s report highlighted the need for “immediate action within days, not weeks, by all parties directly involved in or influencing the conflict to avert this catastrophe.”
The humanitarian situation in Gaza, the report stressed, “is extremely severe and deteriorating rapidly.” In recent weeks, Gazans in northern and central areas have endured a desperate shortage of food, water, medicine, and fuel due to an unrelenting Israeli blockade, resulting in child and elderly fatalities.
Over recent weeks, the crisis has extended to central and southern Gaza as flour and other staple goods are depleted in markets and homes, forcing families to rely on unsafe, expired flour and other harmful alternatives to feed themselves.
On October 5, Israeli forces once again launched a ground invasion in northern Gaza, accompanied by intense bombing and a stringent blockade that restricts the entry of food, water, and medical supplies. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have carried out extensive operations in Gaza, leaving more than 146,000 casualties, including a high percentage of women and children, with over 10,000 people missing amid widespread destruction and famine killing many children and the elderly. This humanitarian disaster is recognized as one of the world’s worst.
Despite international outcry, including a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an end to the violence and an International Court of Justice directive to prevent genocide and improve Gaza’s humanitarian situation, the offensive continues unabated.
For more updates, visit DZWATCH.DZ
Author: nor-eleslam
Keywords: Famine in Gaza, Israel uses hunger, Gaza humanitarian crisis, UNRWA Gaza
