‘Catastrophic levels of hunger’ in Gaza mean famine is imminent, says aid coalition
Famine is imminent in northern Gaza with people suffering “catastrophic levels of hunger”, a coalition of aid groups has warned.
The situation was called “man-made starvation”, as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a group that includes the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization, said that 1.1 million people, half of Gaza’s population, faced famine.
The IPC report came as Philippe Lazzarini, the head of Unrwa – the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees – said he had been denied entry to Gaza where he was due to work on improving the humanitarian response. Lazzarini said the Israeli authorities prevented him from entering Gaza on Monday. Unrwa, the largest aid organisation working in Gaza, is coordinating aid trucks entering via the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
“This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity,” Lazzarini wrote on X. “Too much time was wasted, all land crossings must open now. Famine can be averted with political will.”
Also on Monday, Oxfam said Israeli authorities were preventing “a warehouse full of international aid” from reaching the Gaza Strip.
Israel has asked the International Court of Justice not to issue emergency orders for it to step up humanitarian aid to Gaza to address the looming famine, dismissing South Africa’s request to do so as “morally repugnant”. [Continue reading…]