Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One martyred in the Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Kawnin
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone targets a car in the town of Kawnin
Naeini: If our national interests are attacked again, our response this time will be stronger and more destructive
Naeini: The war has proven that the settlers are defenseless against Iranian missile and drone forces
Naeini: Trump lacks an understanding of the true strength of the Iranian people and is so deluded as to believe he can change the reality of Iran's victory
Naeini: The defeat led to Trump's confusion and loss of balance, which was reflected in his ill-considered statements
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Naeini: Trump's statements are a result of his defeat against Iran, and we advise him to abandon absurd policies
Gaza Government Media Office: The number of children martyred due to malnutrition has risen to 66
Saree: Loyal Yemen will not abandon its religious, moral, and humanitarian duties toward the Palestinian people
Saree: Over the past week, we carried out military operations targeting sensitive sites and military installations in Beer al-Sabe', Yafa, and Haifa via a number of ballistic missiles and drones, which were all successful

A quarter of Gaza one step away from famine: UNOCHA

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 Feb 2024 00:26
6 Min Read

A UN official revealed Tuesday that over 576,000 Palestinians in Gaza are one step away from complete famine. 

  • x
  • A quarter of Gaza one step away from famine: UN
    Palestinians wait to collect food at a donation point in a refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 23, 2023 (AFP)

A top United Nations relief official warned the Security Council on Tuesday that at least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip, or one-quarter of the population, are one step away from starvation.

"Very little will be possible while hostilities continue and while there is a risk that they will spread into the overcrowded areas in the south of Gaza. We therefore reiterate our call for a ceasefire," said Ramesh Rajasingham, coordination director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“If nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable, and the conflict, which since October has claimed the lives of almost 30,000 people, and injured more than 70,000, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, will have many more victims,” Ramesh Rajasingham read on behalf of OCHA and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also mentioned in the same meeting.

Rajasingham said the U.N. and aid groups face "overwhelming obstacles just to get a bare minimum of supplies into Gaza."

“If nothing is done, we fear widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable, and the conflict, which since October has claimed the lives of almost 30,000 people, and injured more than 70,000, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, will have many more victims,” Ramesh Rajasingham read on behalf of OCHA and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also mentioned in the same meeting.

WFP: 1 in 6 children under the age of 2 in Gaza suffers from malnutrition

According to UN World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, one in six children under the age of two in Gaza suffers from malnutrition, making it the region with the highest rate of malnutrition in the world.

“Gaza is seeing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world. One child in every six under the age of two is acutely malnourished,” Skau said in a meeting of the UN Security Council on Food Security.

WFP is ready to scale up its operations if a ceasefire is reached, he added.

Out of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza, every single one of them is grappling with hunger and food insecurity, UN human rights experts warned last month.

Israeli campaign in Gaza "is a collective punishment for the Palestinian civilian people," Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the Security Council.

"Our silence grants a license to kill and to starve the Palestinian population," he said.

Related News

Trump predicts Gaza ceasefire within a week

Gaza finds narcotics in US-Israeli aid, calls for global probe

Lazzarini says famine 'man-made' in Gaza

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees' Chief, Philippe Lazzarini, stated this week that famine in the Gaza Strip can be prevented if vital aid is allowed into the besieged territory.
 
In a statement on X, he stated "This is a man-made disaster," referring to the horrible dangerous conditions Gaza is living through due to the Israeli genocide against it. 
 
"The world committed to never let famine happen again," he added, then urged "Famine can still be avoided through genuine political will to grant access and protection to meaningful assistance." 

Aid agencies have continuously expressed concern over the fate of Palestinians in Gaza being deprived of their basic needs, as the Israeli occupation forces continue to blockade Gaza, as well as attack anyone attempting to get aid or distribute it.

The UN has warned of an upcoming famine endangering everyone in Gaza, while the World Food Program this week described "unprecedented levels of desperation". 
 
Lazzarini revealed that the last time the agency was able to deliver food aid to northern Gaza was on January 23, more than one month ago.

The last time @UNRWA was able to deliver food aid to northern #Gaza was on 23 January.

Since then, together with other @UN agencies, we have:
🛑 Warned against looming famine.
🛑 Appealed for regular humanitarian access.
🛑 Stated that famine can be averted if more food…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 25, 2024

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA stressed that the situation in the north of Gaza was "extremely critical" also expressing alarm over the terrible conditions in the south. 

Palestinians in Gaza also informed AFP they are having to eat rotten corn and animal feed unfit for humans, but even that is now running out. 

Malnutrition, hunger kills 7 infants in Gaza due to Israeli war, siege

The spokesperson for Gaza's Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qudra, indicated, on Saturday, that the critical conditions in the region, affecting over a million individuals with malnutrition, have intensified due to the Israeli occupation's refusal to provide necessary medical supplies and fuel to the northern part of the Strip.

UN agencies warn of 'explosion' in Gaza child deaths

The United Nations warned, last Monday, that an alarming lack of food, surging malnutrition, and the rampant spread of disease could spark an explosion in child deaths in Gaza.

Twenty weeks into the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, UN agencies warned that food and safe water had become "incredibly scarce" in the Palestinian territory, adding that virtually all young children had infectious illnesses.

"The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza," expressed Ted Chaiban, deputy head of humanitarian action at the UN children's agency UNICEF.

At least 90% of children under five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases, according to a joint assessment by the UN agencies for children, food, and health.

Seventy percent had had diarrhea in the two weeks prior to the assessment, marking a 23-fold increase compared to the 2022 baseline.

"Hunger and disease are a deadly combination," World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan said in a statement.

The UN assessment indicated that more than 15% of children under the age of two in northern Gaza -- one in six -- were acutely malnourished, while three percent were suffering from life-threatening severe wasting. 

In short, "Israel's" siege on Gaza is preventing the entry of food and water, putting a population of two million people at risk of dehydration, famine, and diseases. This situation has resulted in the malnutrition of lactating mothers, rendering them unable to breastfeed, and exacerbating dehydration concerns. Tragically, the inhumane siege imposed by "Israel" on Gaza has led to tragic fatalities among infants that could have otherwise been prevented.

  • Gaza
  • war on Gaza
  • Palestine
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Humanitarian aid
  • United Nations
  • famine
  • Gaza Strip
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a protest following the US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

Iran declares victory as ceasefire forces Israeli retreat

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Iran launches strikes on Israeli targets, despite alleged ceasefire

Iran victorious as ceasefire with 'Israel' takes effect

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Iranian worshippers carry their country's flags in a protest to condemn Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, after the Friday prayers ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP)

Iran warns of NPT withdrawal, Strait of Hormuz closure after US attack

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli occupation soldiers search for settlers amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central occupied Palestine, on Sunday, June 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran missile strike flattens Bat Yam, displaces 2,000 settlers

Palestinian fighters from the Islamic Jihad militant group riding on a truck with weaponry on display take part in an anti-Israel parade marking the 36th anniversary of the movement's founding, in Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 (AP)
Politics

Palestinian Resistance attacks Israeli forces in Khan Younis, Jabalia

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stands waiting to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran suspends IAEA cooperation, Araghchi blames Grossi for attacks

The commander of the Quds Force's Palestine Unit, Brigadier General Mohammad Said Izadi (Illustrated by Mahdi Rtail for Al Mayadeen English)
Politics

Who was Mohammad Said Izadi, head of the Quds Force's Palestine Unit?

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS