DaysofPal – As Israel’s blockade persists in choking off food supplies, the UN has warned that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated to “beyond catastrophic” levels, with hunger-related deaths increasing daily, especially among children.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, informed reporters that “more deaths are recorded every day amid ongoing hostilities and extreme hunger.” Hunger-related deaths continue to be reported, including among children.”
He said UN agencies have confirmed that the food entering Gaza is far from sufficient to meet the needs of the besieged population.
“To prevent hunger-related deaths, humanitarians must be able to deliver food at scale and consistently through all available crossings and routes to reach the population of 2.1 million people,” Dujarric stressed.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), community kitchens in Gaza have experienced a significant decline in capacity. Last week, just over 80 kitchens managed to prepare around 380,000 meals a day, less than half of what was being produced back in April, when more than a million meals were distributed daily.
Ismail al-Thawabta, Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, said that the humanitarian situation in the Strip has reached the level of a “total catastrophe,” with more than 2.4 million people, including 1.2 million children, living under a crippling blockade that targets food, medicine, water, and infrastructure.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has brought relentless bombardment, mass displacement, and deliberate starvation, in defiance of international appeals and binding orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its campaign.
“The situation is beyond catastrophic,” Dujarric said. “Without consistent, large-scale access for humanitarian aid, more people, including countless children, will die of hunger in Gaza.”
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