DaysofPal- Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned that famine is likely to occur in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been experiencing Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing for over a month.
Lazzarini’s statements coincided with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor’s call for an official declaration of famine in the northern Gaza Strip, highlighting ‘Israel’s’ use of starvation as a weapon.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Monitor stressed that more than 50 days have passed since ‘Israel’ blocked the entry of aid and essential goods to hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians in northern Gaza.
These civilians are enduring the most violent campaign of genocide, marked by killings and forced displacement.
The statement highlighted that tens of thousands of Palestinians, including numerous patients in three hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, are facing an imminent threat of starvation or lasting health consequences due to the ongoing and unlawful Israeli siege.
Salah Abdel-Ati, chairman of the International Committee to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People, stated that the ongoing Israeli siege of the northern Gaza Strip, now in its thirty-seventh day, along with prior measures to block humanitarian aid, has created a catastrophic situation resembling a humanitarian hell.
“In this environment, the escalation of genocide and the destruction of all aspects of life continue to intensify.” He continued.
Abdel-Ati explained that the Israeli prevention of humanitarian aid and goods from reaching the northern Gaza Strip has created a catastrophic reality, exacerbating the severity of the famine that the Relief Agency and the United Nations had warned about.
He continued that “ according to the reports of our researchers and the medical teams at Kamal Adwan Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital, there are clear signs of severe famine, along with reports of dozens of deaths due to extreme hunger in the northern Gaza Strip.”
“ The international silence and the inability to support Palestinians or ensure the flow of humanitarian aid are extremely dangerous.” He explained, noting that such situation requires significant pressure from international organizations and countries around the world on the occupying state to halt the extermination campaign and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Abdel-Ati urged international organizations to act swiftly to prevent the deaths of thousands of civilians due to the ongoing siege and the imposition of collective punitive measures on Palestinian civilians in the northern Gaza Strip.
Moreover, Jan-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Program, stated that there is a strong possibility that famine ‘is either occurring or imminent’ in parts of northern Gaza.
“ This is due to large-scale displacement, a significant decline in trade and humanitarian aid flows into Gaza, the destruction of infrastructure and health facilities, and the difficult situation surrounding the operations of UNRWA.” Bauer added.
He stressed that the statements from the review committee ‘are very rare, and therefore deserve attention.’
Bauer further explained that the World Food Program had observed ‘a significant decrease in the number of trucks entering Gaza by late October,’ noting that only 58 trucks were entering daily, compared to around 200 during the summer, most of these trucks were carrying humanitarian aid.
He noted that the decline in aid flows has led to a doubling of food prices in northern Gaza in recent weeks, with prices now approximately ten times higher than they were before the conflict began.
He added that this warning serves as a reminder that ‘the eyes of the world must be on Gaza, and action is needed now.’
The Committee emphasized the urgency of immediate action—within days, not weeks—by all parties directly involved in the conflict or those with influence over its course to prevent and mitigate this catastrophic situation.
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