Is Gaza entering the cruelest phase of the war amid severe starvation?
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that Israel‘s intensifying military assault and protracted embargo have driven the Palestinian population in Gaza to the verge of hunger, causing them to endure “what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict.”
What did Guterres say about Israeli actions?
Guterres denounced the extent of Palestinian suffering in a statement on Friday, saying,
“Israel blocked the entry of life-saving international aid for nearly 80 days.” “Famine is a threat to the entire Gaza population.”
After a partial lifting of its 11-week embargo, Israel has only permitted a few hundred trucks to enter Gaza this week, but Guterres said the supply flow remains dreadfully inadequate.
“When a flood of assistance is needed, all the aid that has been authorized thus far amounts to a teaspoon of aid,”
he remarked.
According to the UN head, the Israeli campaign has escalated with “atrocious levels of death and destruction,”
and humanitarian organizations’ access is still hazardous and unpredictable.
“Eighty percent of Gaza is either under evacuation orders or has been declared an Israeli militarized zone,”
he said.
In New York, Guterres warned reporters,
“More people will die – and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound – if aid access is not swift, dependable, safe, and sustained.”
Why does the UN warn of looming famine?
According to Reports, Palestinians in Gaza are constantly fighting to “find food and drinking water, and still queueing for hours in front of whatever is left of the operational local community kitchens that are providing only a tiny amount of food for a hungry population.”
“The amount of food or the aid that has been allowed for the past two days is not enough or sufficient and does not address the deepening humanitarian crisis caused by months of Israeli devastation and bombardment across the strip.”.
At least 76 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since Friday. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli assaults have killed at least 53,822 Palestinians and injured over 122,382 more, the majority of whom were women and children.
How severe is the current aid shortage?
“The food or aid that has been permitted for the last two days is insufficient and does not address the growing humanitarian crisis brought on by months of Israeli bombardment and destruction throughout the Gaza Strip,”
he added.
At least 76 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since Friday. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli assaults have killed at least 53,822 Palestinians and injured over 122,382 more, the majority of whom were women and children.
Due to security restrictions and turmoil on the ground, the UN reports that only one-third of the approximately 300 trucks that Israel claims have entered Gaza since Monday through the Karem Abu Salem crossing—known to Israelis as Kerem Shalom—had made it to warehouses within the enclave.
Before Israel’s assault on Gaza began in October 2023, more than 500 trucks entered Gaza every day; this number is significantly less. By the end of the month, assistance distribution is anticipated to shift to a new delivery system supported by the United States and operated by the recently founded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The concept called for civilian personnel to oversee distribution after private contractors escorted supplies to secure hubs.
