Gaza on the brink of famine, UN-backed report warns

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Mar 2024 16:09
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Following over five months of Israeli aggression that has ravaged the Palestinian territory, a UN-endorsed report released on Monday issues a dire warning.

Palestinian children waiting in line for food amid Israeli genocide and starvation (AFP)

A UN-endorsed report released on Monday warned that famine is expected to spread in the northern region of the Gaza Strip any time between now and May.

This dire prediction follows over five months of Israeli aggression that has devastated the Palestinian territory, resulting in thousands of casualties and severe disruptions to supply chains.

The report, conducted by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), reveals that across the entirety of the besieged enclave, approximately 1.1 million individuals, equivalent to half of the population, are now confronting "catastrophic hunger".

"Famine is now projected and imminent in the North Gaza and Gaza Governorates and is expected to become manifest during the projection period from mid-March 2024 to May 2024," it said.

The evaluation conducted by the UN-endorsed initiative, a metric utilized by UN agencies, regional organizations, and humanitarian aid groups, coincided with international calls urging "Israel" to permit increased humanitarian assistance into the enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people. Approximately 300,000 people in the northern region are isolated due to ongoing aggression.

The last report on Gaza issued by the IPC, in December, indicated a record level of hunger, with nearly double the number of people now deemed at risk of famine. This assessment comes as the EU accuses "Israel" of the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

"From mid-March to mid-July, in the most likely scenario and under the assumption of an escalation of the conflict including a ground offensive in Rafah (city), half of the population of the Gaza Strip (1.11 million people) is expected to face catastrophic conditions," the IPC said.

"The actions needed to prevent famine require an immediate political decision for a ceasefire together with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza," it added.