DaysofPal – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has sounded a dire warning about the escalating food crisis in the Gaza Strip, revealing that it has only been able to deliver 9,000 metric tons of food aid to the besieged territory since May 19, an amount it says is less than a single day’s worth of food for the entire population.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the WFP wrote that the amount delivered so far “represents less than one day’s worth of food needs for every individual in the besieged territory.”
The agency reiterated that it is ready to expand its operations but stressed that this can only happen with “guarantees for safe access and improved field conditions.”
The agency has previously warned that the probability of famine in Gaza is rapidly increasing, driven by the ongoing Israeli military offensive, which continues to obstruct humanitarian operations. A recent WFP report noted that “high food prices, the collapse of livelihoods, and the trade blockade will accelerate economic collapse” in the Strip.
“The situation can only be stabilized through a significant expansion of food distribution, to calm fears and rebuild confidence within communities that more food is coming,” the WFP said.
It called for immediate steps to ease the flow of aid: “There is now an urgent need to find safer routes for convoys, speed up approvals for permits, provide reliable communications services, and open more border crossings.”
The consequences of Gaza’s humanitarian collapse are staggering. The WFP projects that by September 2025, all 2.1 million people in Gaza will face food insecurity classified as crisis level or worse (IPC Phase 3 and above), with nearly half a million expected to reach catastrophic levels (IPC Phase 5), the highest level of food insecurity classification.
The desperation is also turning deadly. “The fear of starvation and the desperate need for food are driving large crowds to gather along known transport routes, hoping to intercept humanitarian supplies as they pass through,” the agency noted.
Recent weeks have seen multiple Israeli massacres of Palestinians waiting for food. The Gaza Government Media Office reported on Wednesday that the number of Palestinians killed at aid distribution sites has risen to 549, with more than 4,000 others wounded in just one month.
Medical sources counted 78 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids across the Strip since dawn on Wednesday alone, including 14 people who were reportedly waiting for aid. Press sources suggested the true toll may be closer to 100.
Many of these attacks occurred near distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has overseen food aid since May under a U.S.-Israeli arrangement. Witnesses and human rights groups have increasingly reported Israeli forces firing on hungry civilians approaching these aid locations.
With needs soaring and access shrinking, humanitarian agencies continue to plead for meaningful access and protection. But without urgent change, the Strip risks plunging further into an unprecedented man-made famine.
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