The United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that famine and subsequent mass starvation are imminent in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, with food insecurity reaching crisis levels.
In a new report released Monday, the WFP projects that the 300,000 people who remain stuck in Gaza’s two northern districts are set to face famine conditions between now and May.
Acute food insecurity has already been surpassed, and acute malnutrition in children under five-years-old is rapidly approaching the famine threshold as set by the UN. The third barometer for famine conditions, non-trauma mortality, is increasing, but the conflict between Israel and Hamas is preventing researchers from getting accurate data.
Furthermore, half the population of the Gaza Strip (1,100,000 people) has depleted its food stores and is experiencing “catastrophic hunger.” This number has doubled over the last three months, and has reached an IPC Phase of 5.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
United Nations WFP executive director Cindy McCain said: “People in Gaza are starving to death right now. The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying. There is a very small window left to prevent an outright famine and to do that we need immediate and full access to the north. If we wait until famine has been declared, it’s too late. Thousands more will be dead.”
In northern Gaza, the most recent statistics show one in three children below the age of two are acutely malnourished, with severely deficient BMI. This status, gruesomely referred to as “Wasted,” is considered to be at-risk for death.
The southern Gazan governorates of Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah are experiencing an IPC Phase of 4, or “Emergency.” The UN warns they could reach famine conditions by July.
According to the report, about 88 percent of the Gaza Strip is in Phase 4 or Phase 5. “Desperate women and children are just one illness, one forced movement or one more catastrophic event away from losing everything,” McCain said.
The UN said a ceasefire with Israel is “necessary” to allow external aid, including food, water, and medicine, to reach Gazans, which is the only way to halt the famine.
Related: Biden to Announce Gaza Pier Construction for Aid Deliveries in SOTU Speech
The UN World Food Programme estimates that “addressing the basic food needs will require at least 300 trucks to enter Gaza every day and distribute food, especially in the north.”
It also urged Israel to open more entry points into Gaza and to allow its Ashdod port to permit aid deliveries. It criticized the airdrop-only option as inadequate for the sheer amount of aid that needs to be delivered, and therefore said roadway access is desperately needed.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
Add comment