The UN organization warned that over 90 percent of the population in Gaza will face ‘severe food insecurity’.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned in a statement on Tuesday that the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip will soon turn into a famine unless immediate action is taken.
WFP said that Israel’s denial of food and other essential commodities from entering the Strip as winter approaches “will likely lead to catastrophic consequences.”
The UN organization revealed that its findings were supported by an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which projected that by November “more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population will face severe food insecurity.”
According to the new findings, many among the 90 percent “will experience emergency hunger, while others could face “catastrophic” food insecurity — the highest hunger level,” WFP’s statement said.
The UN organization warned these numbers are surely to increase due to the dire situation in the north of Gaza, “unless conditions on the ground improve.”
‘UNRWA Must Survive’- Norway Requests Advisory Opinion from ICJ on Israel’s Obligations
WFP described the Israeli restrictions of aid entry to the besieged strip as “severe”.
It also stressed that “in October only 5,000 metric tons of food have been delivered into Gaza, which amounts according to WFP “to just one-fifth of basic food assistance for the 1.1 million people who depend on WFP’s lifesaving support.”
“WFP currently has approximately 94,000 metric tons of food – enough to feed one million people for four months – ready to go into Gaza, with roughly half of it positioned in Ashdod, Egypt, and Jordan,” the statement read.
Moreover, the UN organization attributed the collapse of the enclave’s food system to Israel’s destruction of “factories, croplands and shops”, emphasizing the scarcity of food options in Gaza.
On Tel Aviv’s recent ban on the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, WFP voiced its deep concern, stating that the decision would likely hinder the UN agency from carrying on its essential work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza requires a comprehensive and coordinated response, with UNRWA serving as a central component,” the statement stressed.
WFP concluded by demanding “more secure and functional entry points into Gaza” to sustain its operations in the Strip.
No Food Aid to the North
This is not the first alarming announcement by the WFP since the start of Israel’s raging war on the Gaza Strip over a year ago.
The UN organization has declared mid of this month that no food aid has entered northern Gaza since October 1, affecting thousands of Palestinian families.
In a statement, WFP said food distribution points, as well as kitchens and bakeries in North Gaza, have been forced to shut down due to Israeli airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders. The only functioning bakery in North Gaza caught fire after being hit “by an explosive munition”.
“The north is basically cut off and we’re not able to operate there,” Antoine Renard, WFP Country Director for Palestine said.
Renard emphasized that WFP has been on the ground since the onset of the crisis.
“We are committed to delivering life-saving food every day despite the mounting challenges, but without safe and sustained access, it is virtually impossible to reach the people in need.”
Beyond the Logic of Dehumanization – Those for Whom We Weep Will Win the War
WFP highlighted that in southern and central Gaza, the situation is also at a breaking point due to insecurity surrounding the crossing points.
There are no food distributions, and bakeries are struggling to secure wheat flour, which puts them at risk of shutting down any day, the organization warned, adding that as winter approaches, Gazans find themselves without adequate shelter, no fuel and very little aid.
Death Toll on the Rise
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,163 Palestinians have been killed, and 101,510 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
