The embattled Gaza Strip is currently in the throes of a severe humanitarian crisis, grappling with the aftermath of hostilities, including bombardments and ground operations, which have taken the lives of about 30,000 people. These events have led to catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity and have displaced approximately 85% of the population or 1.9 million people.
The risk of famine is intensifying daily as the intense hostilities persist and humanitarian access remains restricted. International organizations have highlighted that the entire population of Gaza is facing a food crisis or an even worse situation. Of particular concern is the heightened nutritional vulnerability of children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly.
“People in Gaza risk dying of hunger just miles from trucks filled with food,” said the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain.
Prior to the start of the ongoing war, the food security situation in Gaza was already dire with 80% of the population relying on aid, according to United Nations reports. The war has worsened this situation to an unprecedented degree.
Shortly after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the United Nations stated that over US$1.2 billion was needed in urgent humanitarian aid for the region but so far, only about half of this amount has been provided. However, the inflow of humanitarian aid has been often blocked, with trucks very rarely being able to enter the region.
Against this background, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), has warned of an “irreversible disaster” whereby “shelters are shockingly overcrowded, with a high risk of epidemic illness. In these overfull and unsanitary spaces, more than 700 people use a single toilet, women give birth (an average of 25 per day), and people nurse open wounds. Tens of thousands sleep in courtyards and streets. People burn plastic to stay warm. Nearly 90 UNRWA premises, including schools, have been hit or impacted by munitions,” he wrote in a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly.
Lazzarini noted that UNRWA, which is sheltering at least half of the population of Gaza, was “on the verge of collapse”, being practically unable to cope with the situation. He admitted that “at least 70% of UNRWA staff are displaced, and lack food, water and adequate shelter. Our staff take their children to work so they know they are safe or can die together. More than 130 UNRWA staff are confirmed killed in bombardments, most with their families,” the letter read.
Hisham Muhanna, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, told DevelopmentAid that the organization, which has also lost dozens of its employees to the war, continues to provide humanitarian aid, focusing its efforts on mobilization.
“Regrettably, due to the scarcity and restricted availability of crucial food items like sugar, wheat, flour, and other essential components for children and patients, along with elevated prices and a military blockade in place, the food crisis has deepened,” Muhanna noted.
As the conflict enters its fourth month, men, women, children, and the elderly are being besieged by poverty, hunger, deprivation, rubble, and despair. The intense hostilities in one of the world’s most densely populated regions have resulted in unprecedented destruction. Countless children have been orphaned. Innumerable families have lost their homes and have nowhere to return to. Many families have been torn apart, and thousands of people are spending their days and nights wondering about their loved ones, not knowing if they have perished under the rubble or have been arrested, he added.
Additionally, due to the widening scope of military operations in the north and south, most agricultural land, particularly in the border areas, which had been relied upon for food production, has been destroyed and rendered unusable.
These factors, along with the lack of security and skyrocketing prices, with some items experiencing a 100% increase, have led to large numbers of families having only one meal a day.
The urgency of the situation has reached unprecedented levels, making it impossible for any single organization or the humanitarian sector as a whole to adequately address the escalating needs in Gaza. The continuation of hostilities and the ongoing limited flow of food items into Gaza make it impossible to achieve a meaningful or substantial humanitarian response under these conditions, Muhanna emphasized.
