The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) announced Friday that its food supplies in Gaza have been completely exhausted, as Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid continues into its eighth consecutive week.
In a stark statement, the WFP confirmed it had “delivered its last remaining food stocks” to community kitchens in Gaza, warning these kitchens are expected to run out of food entirely “in the coming days.”
The depletion of aid is devastating for the more than 400,000 people in Gaza who depend on WFP support for survival. Antoine Renard, WFP’s representative for Palestine, told Al Jazeera: “We [local NGOs] are all running short. We are being depleted.”
Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza, halting the entry of food, medicine, and fuel. This action stands in defiance of a 2024 World Court order that demanded Israel facilitate humanitarian access to the besieged enclave.
Food reserves accumulated during a brief ceasefire earlier this year have now been largely consumed. Meanwhile, food prices on the limited open market have soared by a staggering 1,400 percent, according to WFP data.
Gaza’s Government Media Office has warned that the rapidly dwindling food supply could plunge “thousands of Palestinian families” into starvation.
The office reported that hunger and malnutrition have already claimed the lives of 52 people — including 50 children — while more than one million children face hunger every single day.
Despite the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, Israel has shown no indication of lifting the blockade. Last week, Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the policy, openly stating that Israel would continue blocking aid as a method to “pressure” Hamas.
Israeli occupation has long alleged that Hamas diverts humanitarian assistance, a claim the group denies. Israeli officials argue that maintaining the blockade is necessary to prevent supplies from reaching fighters.
However, condemnation is growing even among Israel’s staunchest allies. On Wednesday, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom issued a rare joint statement denouncing the blockade as “intolerable,” warning that it is exacerbating the risks of “starvation, epidemic disease and death.”
As Gaza edges closer to mass famine, humanitarian organizations are urgently calling for immediate and unrestricted aid access to avert a disaster of unprecedented scale.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=62367
